The Guilty

Rather listlessly Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) completes the telephone service in the police emergency call center. But then he receives a call that immediately sets all alarm bells ringing. With a trembling voice, Iben begs for help. She has been kidnapped, and since her tormentor is listening in, she pretends to talk to her daughter, who is alone and terrified at home waiting for her mom. With far too little information and tied to the phone, Asger does everything he can to help Iben. But although the police embark on a desperate search, there is no trace of the car containing the woman and her kidnapper, and time is running out for a rescue.

The Guilty tells a very similar story to the Halle Berry thriller The Call - Don't Hang Up! - but with two distinct differences. For one thing, the Danish chamber play is staged in a very minimalistic way until the very last minute, whereas Halle Berry was allowed to plunge into a rather lurid finale at the time. And on the other hand, Gustav Möller's acclaimed directorial debut has a real twist, which once again increases the intensity of the action enormously at the end.

Despite its 85 minutes, the kidnapping drama struggles with some tough moments - especially when Asger sits in front of the phone as if paralyzed and as a viewer you want to shake him to finally pick up the phone, because after all, time is running out for Iben. This is to illustrate the inner struggle of the cop, who is facing a crucial trial a few hours later. That's all well and good, however, this aspect of the story is stretched a little too far, which then results in a few small lengths.

Despite this, The Guilty is all in all an extremely suspenseful, stirring and also surprising thriller, which proves that you can also captivate the audience with very simple means. Despite some small weaknesses, there is a clear: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp