Jake Gyllenhaal is old enough to be a cynical cop, huh? Thank you, movie; I hadn’t quite felt my age today yet. Donnie Darko is now of sufficient age to have an alienated child of his own. Yeah, that’s not good news. What Jake Gyllenhaal’s age really says is that he’s old enough to pick and choose personal projects and today he has chosen The Guilty, a remake of the better Danish film of the same name.
I wouldn’t quite call this a vanity picture, but The Guilty is essentially a one-man show and the question on the table is: “Can Jake Gyllenhaal carry a film all by himself?” The answer is a qualified “Yes.” The Guilty is a cross between a police procedural and a one-man stage show. There are other people in the film, sure, just like Seth Meyers has a cue card guy and a studio audience. But, and I’m pretty sure this is correct – not a single moment in the film has Gyllenhaal off camera and not a single conversation in the film does not include Jake Gyllenhaal. That’s a lot of Jake Gyllenhaal.
Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) is a cop. Currently, he’s a 911 dispatch operator, which we quickly realize is not his normal job. For one thing, he’s not very good at it. One extremely off-putting thing about this version of The Guilty is Joe comes off as a jerk almost
immediately. When you’re fielding 911 calls, the object – I’m quite certain- is help first, judge later. Joe hasn’t got the order right. Oh, I see; this isn’t his normal job. Does this mean he’s being rehabilitated or punished? I think the title gives a clue.
After shaming a few callers, Joe gets a coded distress call from a woman (Riley Keough) who is being abducted. Ok, time to put some detective skillz to the test, Joe. How do you save the woman? And how do you identify if there’s anyone else here in need of police intervention? The Guilty is a thought piece; it asks you to get in one man’s head and stay there. Does it matter that Joe’s recent past is … how shall I put this … less-than-ideal? No, in fact it lends greater weight to his efforts in the present.
Anyone watching this picture has to realize you’re going to be looking a Jake Gyllenhaal on a single set talking on the phone for 90 minutes. That’s what this picture is. I’m generally fond of these solo shows because I am genuinely curious if one actor in one setting can take me from start-to-finish without me reaching for the remote. That said, I wasn’t 100% cool with this version of The Guilty and I cannot tell you if it’s because the screenplay or acting wasn’t strong enough … or simply that I’d seen the superior Danish version too recently so I knew exactly what to expect. While I don’t think the non-raptness was due to Gyllenhaal, I sure wasn’t a fan of the first ten minutes of film where Joe establishes himself as mostly pissed off and willing to take it out on innocents. This version of The Guilty is a decent film, but if you have a choice and don’t mind subtitles, go for the Danish original.
You see, for heaven sake
They made an entire movie about Jake
It won’t make you quake
Or do a spit-take
You see, it’s all about Jake
Not his sister, nor a Gyll-fake
And the pic is one big remake
So it could feature ninety minutes of Jake
I won’t ask you to wake
Nor interrupt a bake
Or not follow through, you phony flake
But it’s gonna be all about Jake
Don’t like it? Go jump in a lake
Rated R, 90 Minutes
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Nic Pizzolatto
Genre: My one-man apology show
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of literally anybody else
