While Netflix’s latest drama The Guilty has been met with average reception, critics and fans are obsessing over Jake Gyllenhaal’s impressive performance.
The Guilty is a 2021 crime thriller that’s a remake of a 2018 Danish movie. The original movie has a huge fan following and had ratings that averaged at 98%, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Given the original’s acclaim, the Netflix adaptation had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, some critics found themselves less than pleased. However, one thing that most appear to have in common is praise for Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of LAPD Officer Joe Baylor.
What are critics saying?
The 2021 version of The Guilty is currently sitting on a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics are calling the remake “unneccessary” and pointing out the flaws seen throughout the plot. The general consensus is that the movie was watchable and its engaging moments chalked up to Gyllenhaal’s tremendous acting.
Time Magazine wrote that Gyllenhaal “owned the screen,” throughout the movie. While complimenting, it is to be expected as he was the only speaking character shown on screen during the entire duration of the movie. But the praise doesn’t stop there.
Kshitij Rawat of Indian Express wrote, “What would otherwise be a well-made but flawed thriller becomes a thoroughly engrossing experience due to Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance.” Movie critic Dennis Schwartz expressed similar sentiments. He wrote, “The original needed no improvement, but the star edgy performance by Jake Gyllenhaal gives the remake a boost.”
What is The Guilty about?
The Guilty follows Gyllenhaal’s Baylor as an agitated LAPD officer. The audience is introduced to him while he is working an evening shift and his flaws are obvious from the top, he mocks his callers and does little to assure them in their time of panic. Baylor seems heartless and uncaring in what he does until he receives a frantic call from a woman named Emily Lighton (voiced by Riley Keough).
Netflix writes, “The Guilty takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor tries to save a caller in grave danger—but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.”
As teased in the movie’s description, The Guilty unveils endless twists and turns as Baylor’s secrets come out while he works to solve the case from afar.
The Guilty is currently streaming on Netflix.