Since ending his self-imposed blockbuster exile with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jake Gyllenhaal seems to have caught the bug for high concept genre films. The Academy Award nominee wrapped Michael Bay’s next effort Ambulance earlier this year, while it was only a few days ago that he was announced to be headlining dystopian comic book adaptation Oblivion Song.
Before that, he’s got Netflix thriller The Guilty, which is receiving a limited theatrical release on September 24th before coming to streaming one week later. Gyllenhaal also produces after acquiring the rights to the 2018 Danish movie of the same name, which received widespread critical acclaim thanks to an intriguing hook, fast-paced narrative and strong performances.
The actor plays Joe Baylor, an emergency services dispatcher who answers an urgent call from a woman that’s been kidnapped. When the line suddenly goes dead, the chase is on to find the victim and her captor before it’s too late. That’s a decent setup for what should be an effective mid budget thriller, and you can bet it’ll go down a storm with Netflix subscribers.
Antoine Fuqua, who recently helmed Mark Wahlberg dud Infinite but remains a safe pair of hands with a decent track record behind the camera, directs from a script by True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto. Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard and Riley Keough are just a few of the names on board The Guilty, which looks set to generate plenty of interest the closer it gets to hitting the world’s most popular platform.
