The Guilty

This story follows the world's most incompetent crisis negotiator, Joe, as he attempts to keep a situation from getting out of hand. When I say incompetent, I mean that thanks to Joe's endless blunders and impulsive behavior, this movie was just one soundtrack away from being a dark comedy. Instead it got labeled a thriller due to the thrill the of pure rage the audience feels as they watch Joe pick one poor choice of words after another.

The acting was pretty good and the story was new to me. The fact that Fuqua was able to make a movie like this from virtually one location and on such a frugal budget is pretty impressive, but come prepared to yell at Joe for being more than a little useless for an hour and a half.

The movie is not a 7.

The movie with Jake Gyllenhaal is a 7. This man is the most underrated gem in Hollywood.

I haven't seen the original, but this movie is good enough. With amazing performance by effectively the only actor in the movie.

I watched the Netflix film first, and then thanks to the reviews here, discovered the Danish original and watched that too.

The Netflix film is a taught and effective thriller, with a great central performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. It's mostly word-for-word the same as the Danish version. And it's free if you have Netflix!

The Danish version is £2.99 on Amazon. It's less stylish and less melodramatic, but much more believable and affecting. I cared more for all the characters, and despite knowing exactly how it was going to play out, I was hooked throughout. At times I couldn't look away.

The Netflix film adds an unneccesary personal arc, some wildfire-related melodrama, and a set more like a James Bond MI5 office than a 911 (or 112) call centre - all of which reduced the impact and made the film less engaging.

If you're definitely not going to watch the Danish version, the Netflix one is a good bet. If you're ok to watch either, choose the original - it's a lot more suspensful and completely captivating. (Ideally, unlike me, don't watch both!)

Clearly made during the Covid restrictions of 2020, this remake of a Danish film is actually well worth a look.

A powerhouse performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, when does this man ever disappoint, he brings his A Game here, and elevates the movie. Credit to him for doing another somewhat quirky movie. Credit also to the voice actors, they did a terrific job, it felt authentic.

A few twists and turns, lots of moments to surprise and shock the viewer. For the most part they keep it subtle, only at the end do they go a little over the top.

Joe was definitely having a bad day, they threw everything at him.

If you enjoyed 2013's The Call, with Halle Berry, you'll very likely enjoy this, 7/10.

JametGylenhaal is an amaziy actor, he's able to enthral an audience for the entire 90 minutes when all focus is on him, virtually 99% of the movie.

This movie was shot in 11 days, which is impossible to believe. JG was able to hone in on his character in such a short amount of time, you're able to sense his anguish, his feelings throughout the movie - not just from a well written script, but his facial expressions, his demeanour, his body - make no mistake JG 'owns' this movie and OWN it he does....!!!