The Missing Person

A moody melancholy pleasure - like a contemplative Miles Davis track.
I never write movie reviews, but this movie, seemingly simple, lingered in my mind long after it finished.
It's kinda like an old fashioned Bogart private eye flick with its dry, wise cracking dialogue; but what really sets this movie apart are 2 things. First it's an amazingly deft character portrayal of a man tormented by lost love played by Michael Shannon in a very quiet, subdued study. Actually, the entire flick is like his character - we only see the tip of the iceberg but flashes of hidden depth appear here and there.
Secondly, a very original film style. Cool autumnal colors and expressionistic camera work, sometimes bordering on the feverish, give the film a dream like quality; as if we're living in the hazy twilight consciousness of the main character, who is rarely sober throughout the film.
Add to this a classy cool jazz soundtrack and it's one melancholy moody movie. Highly recommended.

Very unique, oddly low-key noir
I'm surprised there's only one other review of this film here. It's quite a solid piece of work.

Shannon is exceptional as the gumshoe, and director Buschel has a field day both fulfilling and mocking many noir tropes: the film is about a private detective from L.A., there's a scene of L.A. in the rain with neon reflections, the private dick is a heavy drinker, he's non-stop laconic and wise-cracking, he's tortured by a past he won't talk about, and on and on. As a big fan of all things noir (read: unusually honest, in a highly stylized way), I found MP to be both very entertaining and strangely disquieting.

There's something a little off about this movie, but in a good way. Just when it seems to be getting typical of the genre, some weird new event will occur and throw everything off kilter. It would be spoilerish to share those events, but suffice to say that they're unexpected and work well. The script is intelligent and concise, while never stooping to...

Noir Art Film, Mike Shannons Best Film
If Jim Jarmusch was a better writer and had more heart, maybe he would have made The Missing Person. This unknown little indie gem is so good and fun and sad that I couldn't believe how little fanfare it's gotten. I think it may be the great Michael Shannon movie. Better than Take Shelter.

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