The Missing (2003)

In 1885 New Mexico, a frontier medicine woman forms an uneasy alliance with her estranged father when her daughter is kidnapped by an Apache brujo.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Thomas Eidson (novel), Ken Kaufman (screenplay)

Stars:

Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Samuel Jones / Chaa-duu-ba-its-iidan
Cate Blanchett	...	Magdalena Gilkeson
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Lilly Gilkeson
Jenna Boyd	...	Dot Gilkeson
Aaron Eckhart	...	Brake Baldwin
Val Kilmer	...	Lt. Jim Ducharme
Sergio Calderón	...	Emiliano
Eric Schweig	...	Pesh-Chidin / El Brujo
Steve Reevis	...	Two Stone
Jay Tavare	...	Kayitah
Simon Baker	...	Honesco, Kayitah's son
Ray McKinnon	...	Russell J. Wittick
Max Perlich	...	Isaac Edgerly
Ramon Frank	...	Grummond
Deryle J. Lujan	...	Naazhaao / 'Hunter'

Storyline

In 19th-century New Mexico, a father (Tommy Lee Jones) comes back home, hoping to reconcile with his adult daughter Maggie (Cate Blanchett). Maggie's daughter is kidnapped, forcing father and estranged daughter to work together to get her back.

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Plot Keywords:

revisionist western | new mexico territory | apache territory | sonora mexico | sierra madre mountains | 

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Taglines:

How far would you go, how much would you sacrifice to get back what you have lost?

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Genres:

Adventure | Thriller | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Apache languages Spanish

Release Date:

26 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Ride

Filming Locations:

New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,833,633, 30 November 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$27,011,180, 31 December 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios,Imagine Entertainment,Daniel Ostroff Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min 154 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tommy Lee Jones and Eric Schweig learned some Chiricahua Apache for this film. Their instructors were two of the last three remaining fluent speakers.

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Goofs

After Jones follows the hawk back to his family he sits on the ground talking to Maggie. The wind blows Jones' hair and doesn't mess up Maggie's hair even though they are a few feet from each other. When the wind blows, Jones' extension clips can be seen and his "real" hair blows above his head, as it is much shorter than the extensions.

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Quotes

Samuel Jones: You take this money for your children.
Maggie Gilkeson: No, you take it for your funeral.

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Alternate Versions

Although the film was shot in the Super 35 process, the Full Screen DVD mostly version Pans and Scans as if it were shot in Anamorphic Widescreen instead of properly framing it for Full Frame as most Super 35 films are. Only a few shots in this movie were reframed properly.

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Connections

Referenced in Arrested Development: The B. Team (2013)

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Soundtracks

The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze
(uncredited)
Lyrics by George Leybourne
Music by Gaston Lyle

User Reviews

A film of extreme realism and compelling scenes w/the just the right touch of "on the edge of your seat" excitement!

I thought the juxtaposition of good vs evil was used very cleverly by Ron Howard in this movie. The filming was extremely realistic and the action was compelling. There were several "slow" moments but these were made up for by the realism of the entire movie. Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones and the SUPERB acting jobs they did definitely carried the film. The role of "Dot" was also extremely well portrayed.