R | 1h 25m | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 2018
Attention spans are rapidly dwindling in the Western world as people are constantly bombarded with fearmongering news reports, ultra-violent films and TV shows, and, of course, insta-dopamine-hit-delivering social media apps.
Film franchises, such as “John Wick” and “Hostel,” have proven that storylines aren’t nearly as important as they used to be, as long as there is plenty of bloodletting and not too many pauses in the action.
Many Hollywood remakes try to copy exceptional foreign films, but often the mood and tonality of the originals get lost in translation along the way. A perfect example of this can be found in 2018’s thriller “The Guilty,” an excellent Danish production that got a 2021 Hollywood remake and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the main protagonist. While the original film is a gripping thriller that utilizes sound, subtlety, and mood to immerse audiences, the remake features mostly the opposite.
‘The Guilty’
The Danish original begins at a Copenhagen police emergency call center. Officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is awaiting trial for some unknown legal issue and has been assigned to a desk job to answer incoming calls.
We see Asger answering a call by a terrified man who seems to be having some sort of nervous breakdown. Asger asks the man a series of questions. When the man admits that he has overdosed on speed, Asger admonishes him for putting himself in such a predicament.
He receives another call from a man who says he has just been robbed by a female perpetrator. Asger seems to take the male victim seriously at first; that is, until it is revealed that the victim is sitting in his car in the red light district. After putting two and two together, Asger surmises that the man was picking up a prostitute and found one who then mugged him in his car. Asger’s concern quickly turns into amusement over the victim’s predicament.
A Terrifying Call
A seemingly routine call then comes in from a woman named Iben (voiced by Jessica Dinnage) in a vehicle, who talks to Asger as if he were a child. At first, Asger dismisses Iben as a kook and is about to hang up on her when he realizes that something is off. Through further conversation, consisting of yes or no questions, he deduces that Iben is pretending that she’s talking to her daughter, because a man is in the vehicle with her, a man whom she knows and who has abducted her.
Since Asger can trace a caller’s general location by tracking which cell phone tower they’re close to, he sees that she’s traveling north from Copenhagen and that her two children have been left alone back at home. He tells Iben to continue to pretend that she’s talking to her daughter while he switches lines and calls a police dispatch station that is close to Iben’s general location.
As Asger continues his conversation with Iben, he begins to shut himself off from his desk-bound colleagues. When they offer their help, he declines and eventually moves into a separate unused office space after his shift is over so that he can continue his increasingly obsessive urge to investigate Iben’s predicament.
Asger also enlists the help of his loyal street cop partner Rashid (voiced by Omar Shargawi), who is scheduled to testify on his behalf at the following day’s trial.
While some of Asger’s police work is morally questionable—some of it is downright illegal and it becomes apparent why he’s in his current legal troubles—he likes to make up his own rules as he goes along.
Things seem to unfold like a normal crime thriller until the third act when a plot twist suddenly comes out of left field. While I can usually tell when some sort of big twist is on the horizon, I have to admit that I didn’t see this one coming.
Gustav Moller uses a wide array of filmmaking techniques to make the most of his single main actor who moves about in only a couple of office spaces (most of the other characters call in). The incredible sound design gradually ratchets up the tension, such as when Asger listens to the sounds of a police officer as he approaches the suspected van that Iben may be in. The sounds of passing traffic, the pitter-patter of rain, and people muttering in the background during Asger’s calls, all inundate the senses and stimulate the imagination, similar to any great radio drama.
Music is kept to a minimum, allowing audiences to study Asger’s body language and facial expressions for emotional cues. The cinematographer’s long takes (shots that last longer than in traditional filmmaking) also allow you to either ponder Asger’s situations (or potential next move) or wonder what is going on in his head.
“The Guilty” is a refreshing film that engages the imagination instead of dumbing things down and taking the safe route.
In a sea of empty sound and fury titles, this is a standout thriller, which, fortunately, is getting its due. It’s a unique tale about a person’s moral dilemmas and possible redemption through helping others.
