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Movies & TV

07th Sep 2021

A new tension-filled Netflix thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal should go straight on your watch list

Stephen Porzio

It comes from the writer of True Detective and the director of Training Day.

In 2018, a terrifically tense Danish crime thriller called The Guilty was released, focusing on a police officer assigned to a dispatch centre who enters a race against time when he answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman.

Part of what made the movie so noteworthy was the fact that it took place entirely within the police dispatch centre. Instead of witnessing the crime that kick-started the film, we were placed entirely in the main character’s shoes – listening intently on the phone line for clues and trying to find a way to save the victim in real time.

The high concept premise worked for the film, helping to earn it a whopping 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and nab a spot on the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

As such, it’s no surprise that Hollywood quickly snapped up the rights for a remake, which is coming to Netflix next month.

Moving the action to Los Angeles, Jake Gyllenhaal this time stars as the police officer who receives a call from a kidnapped woman, with the supporting and most likely voice cast including Bill Burr, Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano and Riley Keough.

Director Antoine Fuqua of Training Day and The Equalizer fame has helmed the movie, which is penned by True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto.

On the strength of its leading man and the behind-the-scenes crew involved in the remake, one hopes the US take on the story can match the original.

Viewers can find out on 1 October when the film arrives on Netflix. Check out the new trailer for The Guilty below.

Clip via Netflix

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