When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him.When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him.When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 12 wins & 23 nominations total
Martin LaSalle
- Paris
- (as Martin Lasalle)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring the Pinochet dictatorship, which ran from 1973 to 1990, this picture was banned in Chile.
- GoofsIn the scene where Jack Lemmon is at the State Department early in the movie trying to get information about Charlie, there is the presidential portrait of Richard Nixon on the wall in the background and a more personal photo of him on Marine One on the credenza behind the desk. That photograph, with fingers in the V-peace sign, was taken upon his final departure from the White House in 1974 and could not have been on someone's desk in 1973.
- SoundtracksMy Ding a Ling
(1952)
Written by Chuck Berry (uncredited)
Performed by Chuck Berry
Courtesy of All Platinum Records, Inc.
Featured review
Another side of Jack Lemmon.
Simply,Costa-Gavras's American movies (this one,Betrayed(1987) and "music box" (1990))are better than his French works(compartiments tueurs(1965),Z(1969),l'aveu(1970),etc).Whatever you may think of "Z",the art of Costa -Gavras is efficient but a bit cold and deprived of emotion.This is a perfect dissection of a political assassination,complete with investigation and suspense.But the characters are reduced to stereotypes,particularly when they are played by overrated Yves Montand.
In his American works,while continuing his militant way,Costa-Gavras puts men and women made of flesh and blood on the screen:Jack Lemmon,who made us laugh so many times in Billy Wilder's masterpieces("some like it hot" "kiss me stupid" "the apartment",the highly underrated "Avanti"),shines in his dramatic part;his portrayal of an all-American man,proud of his country,who cannot really understand the evolution of the new generations but who knows that he's got only one son,whom he might never see again,is mind-boggling:his tired and sad face,always seeming on the verge of tears ,mainly in the second half of the movie which contains two classic scenes:
-The first one takes place in the stadium,where the prisoners are gathered;he's given a mike ,but a lump comes to his throat and he hands it to Sissi Spacek -who plays (with talent) the missing son's wife -;In the giant stadium,no echoes ,even when Lemmon,in a desperate call,asks his son to come home.
-The second one takes place in some kind of morgue,where dead bodies pile up.The wife and the father really go to hell,in this almost unbearable scene.
The Putsch (Costa-Gavras takes the American intervention for granted whereas there's nothing that proves it)takes a back seat to the desperate couple's plight.
Costa-Gavras has not completely forsaken France though:the book Spacek and Shea are reading is none other than Saint-Exupery's "le petit prince".
In his American works,while continuing his militant way,Costa-Gavras puts men and women made of flesh and blood on the screen:Jack Lemmon,who made us laugh so many times in Billy Wilder's masterpieces("some like it hot" "kiss me stupid" "the apartment",the highly underrated "Avanti"),shines in his dramatic part;his portrayal of an all-American man,proud of his country,who cannot really understand the evolution of the new generations but who knows that he's got only one son,whom he might never see again,is mind-boggling:his tired and sad face,always seeming on the verge of tears ,mainly in the second half of the movie which contains two classic scenes:
-The first one takes place in the stadium,where the prisoners are gathered;he's given a mike ,but a lump comes to his throat and he hands it to Sissi Spacek -who plays (with talent) the missing son's wife -;In the giant stadium,no echoes ,even when Lemmon,in a desperate call,asks his son to come home.
-The second one takes place in some kind of morgue,where dead bodies pile up.The wife and the father really go to hell,in this almost unbearable scene.
The Putsch (Costa-Gavras takes the American intervention for granted whereas there's nothing that proves it)takes a back seat to the desperate couple's plight.
Costa-Gavras has not completely forsaken France though:the book Spacek and Shea are reading is none other than Saint-Exupery's "le petit prince".
Helpful•2412
- dbdumonteil
- Mar 4, 2002
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Vermisst
- Filming locations
- Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico(as Vina del Mar)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $9,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,000,000
- Gross worldwide
- $14,000,000
- Runtime2 hours 2 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
![Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, and John Shea in Missing (1982)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGJmOGZiN2YtYWI2MS00ZGQzLWEwMmQtZTdiYjFjOWFiZDg4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAwMzUyOTc@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)