The Missing Person

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Alain E The noir atmosphere is all here, including the color distortion that refers to movies shot fifty years earlier. Michael Shannon is a credible contemporary Marlowe. But the story hardly keeps us interested. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/25/25 Full Review ronald h "The Missing Person" starts out in Philip Marlowe noir territory (except it takes place in 2009). Much of the film is dark and grainy, and Michael Shannon's burned out private eye Rosow drinks a lot and lives in shabby one room apartment in Chicago. He gets a call from an attorney at 5:11 in the morning, telling him to get on the California Zephyr to L.A. and tail a man who has a young Mexican boy with him. His pay is $500 a day plus expenses. Thirty minutes into the film, I was wondering why it wasn't done as a 1940's period piece. The answer eventually becomes apparent. No spoilers, but it's a pretty good surprise. We follow Rosow to L.A., Mexico, and New York, and the story takes some puzzling twists and turns. We, along with Rosow, can't tell the bad guys from the good guys. A couple of FBI agents show up, and Rosow gets involved with a woman who appears to be a lonely barfly but in actuality is working for someone who's behind the whole scam. The always reliable Shannon is great in this role. I've never seen him give a bad performance. Even though he's a drunk and inscrutably morose, we root for him. Don't expect any action scenes or violent shoot outs. This is a slow burn, more cerebral than sensational. I was surprised to learn that director and screenwriter Noah Buschel was only 31 years old when he made this film. He is mature beyond his years. For jazz fans: In a night club scene late in the film, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano plays some beautiful moody stuff. Recommended for introspective movie watchers. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review andrei d Incepe bine, se pierde pe la jumate Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie sets the noir atmosphere perfectly, complete with voice-over, faded color palette and wise-cracking dialogue. Unfortunately not everything works here - the aforementioned dialogue feels like it was lifted from a 40's detective novel, and supporting cast is rather weak. What does it in though, is a lackluster plot, which is promising at first, but stats dissolving gradually and more or less falls apart in the third act. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member 86% Aesthetic, easeful, yet brutally honest and typically abrasive film noir. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Micheal Shannon holds the film together with a compelling film noir performance. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Missing Person

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