warrenhudson-34-271906

Anyone as highly strung and unstable as this guy would not be allowed anywhere near the police force, let alone the 911 hotline. At one point he gets the criminal perpetrator on the line and he yells angrily at him....even a random person selected off the street would make a better job of what was the crucial chance of negotiating with the criminal guy. Meanwhile the character known as Emily, her wailing and sobbing "I am gonna die, I am gonna die" is enough to drive anyone up the wall. Die already! As other reviewers have pointed out, any call operator behaving like this would be immediately dismissed. Well done to Jake Gyllenhaal for persisting with this terrible, terrible script, his brave persistence earns one star from me.

While this movie does move fairly slowly, that is part of its intention. It is all about paying attention to the small details of life. And the tracking of a lost girl is a metaphor for life, how we try to keep on the track of our own lives but we can all too easily lose our way. Linda Hamilton gives an excellent performance in the lead role and it is her acting and narration that holds the whole film together. Kevin Kilner gives a formidable performance as the psychopathic husband. Some reviewers complain about the flashback scenes, claiming they are confusing, but to me they were very clear and they added to the dimensions of Hamilton's character. This is not a classic movie, but it is a superior television movie and it is well worth viewing.