THE GUILTY

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Joe Baylor, a LAPD officer who's recently been assigned to work as a 911 operator after being investigated for a shooting he was involved in while on duty. His attitude towards his current position is evident early on with callers as he's frequently blunt and even downright rude to people who are in emergency situations, looking for assistance rather than a 911 operator with an attitude. Playing against the backdrop of a California wildfire and resources that are stretched thin, Joe receives a call from Emily, who's been abducted. Trying to save Emily before any harm comes to her, Joe becomes overly invested in this kidnapping, going above and beyond (both legally and illegally) to rescue her. Director Antoine Fuqua and writer Nic Pizzolatto do a wonderful job at creating suspense, always wondering what the next phone call between the two will bring. At around 85 minutes, it doesn't sit around waiting to get revved up but rather gets right to the point. Gyllenhaal does a spectacular job as Joe, going from oftentimes tender to raging mad without much provocation and it's easy to see why he's currently sitting on the sidelines due to his violent temper. Be sure to check out this modern day Hitchcockian film when it drops on Netflix on October 1. 7.5/10