The Guilty operates exclusively within the confines of a 911 dispatch center and relies on Jake Gyllenhaal’s talents to foster and maintain suspense. Though the Netflix original suffers from a predictable twist that fails to deliver shock value, Gyllenhaal’s take on Officer Joe Baylor keeps the film engaging Enough. Baylor, a cop with traumatized past, is shown in the film as a Bible quote. “And the truth shall set you free, “The first frame.
Baylor is trying to save an abducted woman, but he works with an administration that is more concerned about the process than protection. Some of the others may become desensitized from the near-death situations they are constantly faced with as they become too busy dealing with California’s rampant wildfires. Baylor’s frank portrayals of apathy are not revealing this.
The filmmakers might have suggested that dispatchers learn to be emotionally detached from their job to maintain mental stability. Baylor is the only human in a group of robots clicking buttons. Instead, Baylor is the focus of the film. It’s not believable. The I’m-the-only-one-who-cares trope surges to the surface in The Guilty degrading officers and sergeants into rule-following and priority-focused cogs of the machine. It’s Baylor against The man.
Gyllenhaal accepts most unique projects (Velvet Buzzsaw, Prisoners, Donnie Darko), the film becomes a disappointing expectation violation. The Guilt exploits parallel plot points to characterize Baylor and underpin an otherwise one-dimensional mystery: There’s Baylor’s unexplained-yet-obvious-from-the-get-go past and Emily’s unorthodox abduction. This story technique — featuring concurring narratives that augment each other via frequent switches that occur just before pivotal details emerge— is lazy and old-hat. Despite this, it is still a good story technique. The Guilty The second-rate mystery mechanisms make it difficult to understand, but our boy prodigious does his best to elevate this banal concept above mediocrity.
Gyllenhaal’s anxiety in Guilty It is palpable. It’s transferable. His fear for Emily’s safety — from the beads of sweat dripping down his neck to his quivering lip and darting eyes — keeps the audience’s heart racing. When he works with Emily to slow her breathing, we can’t help but join in on the technique to calm our fears.
Baylor is the film’s audience. He cannot hear Emily, so that we can hear Emily. The blurry visualization of what happens when officers pull over white vans is all he can see—his mind. The film creates a claustrophobic environment. We are forced to wait for the confirmation of life from our auditory senses. This rarely happens in cinematic history.
It is a well-crafted storytelling technique that creates a small space of suspense. It is not clear, however, if this is sufficient to make the film a must-see. It’s merely triumphant in using cinematic choices (and an utterly compelling Gyllenhaal) to transfer a feeling of helplessness to the audience. Gyllenhaal’s frustration with fellow officers, his doubts, his fears surrounding promises he may not be able to keep is what makes The Guilty This is a fun ride. Predictability is not acceptable when it comes down to suspense.
The Guilty The film arguably has one major twist and one minor revelation. The build-up to the revelation is shoved down viewers’ throats throughout; it’s referenced in conversations so many times that the emotional relief that should come with Baylor’s final epiphany falls flat.
And, as for the classic climactic twist — the typical turn of events that sets a mystery on a different path halfway through the film — it’s inevitable, but not surprising. It’s grounded in the narrative in such a blatant fashion that it could never shock. The filmmakers don’t waste any time trying to disorient viewers. For mysteries to be successful, they must have multiple possibilities and fake-outs. If there are not enough options, the truth will come out of nowhere.