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Missing Person, The

EMAILPRINTStrand Releasing

Missing Person, The reviews
57
9.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 9 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 1 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Drama  |  Mystery

Written by: Noah Buschel

Directed by: Noah Buschel

Release Date:
Theatrical: November 20, 2009

Running Time: 95 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Margaret Colin, Linda Emond, Yul Vazquez, and John Ventimiglia

John Rosow is a private detective hired to tail a man, Harold Fullmer, on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles. Rosow gradually uncovers Harold’s identity as a missing person. Persuaded by a large reward, Rosow is charged with bringing Harold back to his wife in New York City against his will. Ultimately Rosow must confront whether the decision to return Harold to a life that no longer exists is the right one. (Strand Releasing)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

New York Post Kyle Smith

Rising star Michael Shannon makes a riveting shamus hired to chase a runaway husband in the quiet but resonant little noir The Missing Person.

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75

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Overly fussy and self-conscious in its noir details. But in The Missing Person, Buschel makes striking use of the Mike Hammer/Philip Marlowe tradition.

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70

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

Sluggish, stylized and frequently washed in a bilious green tint, The Missing Person is yet oddly irresistible.

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60

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Despite honoring noir genre conventions, Buschel also draws upon his fertile imagination in dialogue and in storytelling that allows his film gradually to accrue meaning.

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60

Time Out New York Nicolas Rapold

It’s Shannon’s slow, steady world of hurt that makes the film watchable.

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58

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Shannon’s performance takes The Missing Person as far as it goes, but when a real-world tragedy commandeers the story, Buschel’s thin pastiche falls to pieces.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Justin Lowe

A low-key mystery that's initially engaging but ultimately lacks sufficient intrigue to sustain interest.

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50

Variety Todd McCarthy

An intriguingly plotted mystery that unfortunately forgets to put the noir in film noir. A drab, pale-looking affair without a trace of visual style, this cross-country pursuit yarn fights a losing battle to sustain viewer attention via narrative alone, so much does it flounder for lack of imagistic flair.

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40

Village Voice Nick Pinkerton

The film has been gesturing toward a profundity that isn't there.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Leroy J gave it a9:
Wonderful, unique take on noir.

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