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The Missing

Play trailer 1:52 Poster for The Missing R 2003 2h 15m Western Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
57% Tomatometer 162 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett) sees her teenage daughter, Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood), kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel (Tommy Lee Jones), in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lilly back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.
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The Missing

The Missing

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Critics Consensus

An expertly acted and directed Western. But like other Ron Howard features, the movie is hardly subtle.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 28, 2010
2/5
A disappointment; relentlessly bleak and brutal. Go to Full Review
Jeannette Catsoulis Las Vegas Mercury Mar 23, 2005
3.5/5
'Breathtakingly beautiful and menacingly primitive.' Go to Full Review
Nev Pierce BBC.com Feb 13, 2004
4/5
In 20 years it will probably be regarded as Howard's finest film. Go to Full Review
Murtada Elfadl Sundays with Cate Jan 25, 2021
C
Blanchett and Jones are matched well as two idiosyncratic people. There's a symbiosis to their performances as stubborn loners. The filmmaking is competent but never thrilling. Go to Full Review
Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies Jan 12, 2016
1/5
a monotonous, dreary, wretched kitchen sink drama from post-Civil War New Mexico Go to Full Review
Joe Leydon The Moving Picture Show Aug 1, 2014
Ron Howard's vividly gritty and brutally arresting Western is a powerfully effective piece of work. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Eye C @ECinc Jun 2, 2026 An interesting movie, although a bit slow, and the thing with the missing doughter in the end is so annoying, as what if they don't rescue her at all... still a downer from Apollo 13 and Beautiful Mind I believe. See more
Bobby E @RT23212962 Jan 11, 2026 If your a fan of realistic westerns . And thrillers . Then this will hold your attention . The cast is exceptional The story is dark . The cinematography beautiful . See more
Jo-Ann E T @RT60398850 Oct 26, 2025 Life in the 1800s wasn't kind. Yes this movie is brutal but it's honest about the past. Ron Howard gives us a look into the past that isn't kind. We see what has happened with the stealing of women to sale to Mexico and the relationship between mother and daughter. We see the brutality of a witch doctor that uses a dark side of medicine. It shows us how a relationship can grow between father and daughter when you least of all expect it. Its worth watching watching and seeing the side of life that isn't kind. Ron Howard does a excellent job of representing life at that time. J See more
j F @RT31612624 Jul 20, 2025 Tommy Lee Jones and care Blanchett we excellent, and the photography spectacular. See more
Dani G @RT81139271 Jul 15, 2025 Meh... Bad indians, good white people.... And mexicans, bad too See more
Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 12, 2025 Success in 2.25 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $26,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Val Kilmer as Lt. Jim Ducharme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more
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The Missing

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Cast & Crew

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Ron Howard

Director

Tommy Lee Jones

Jones

Cate Blanchett

Maggie

Evan Rachel Wood

Lilly

Jenna Boyd

Dot

Steve Reevis

Two Stone

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The Missing

The Missing: Trailer 1 The Missing: Trailer 1 1:52 Now Playing View more videos
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The Missing

Producer Brian Grazer (l) and director Ron Howard on the set of Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Evan Rachel Wood, plays Lilly, a young girl who is kidnapped by a vicious band of renegades in Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. A scene from Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing. - Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett play an estranged father and daughter in Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Eric Schweig portrays Pesh-Chidin, a psychopathic killer with mystical powers, in Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood and Jenna Boyd star in Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Jay Tavare plays Kayitah in Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Director/producer Ron Howard on the set of Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Cate Blanchett and Jenna Boyd star in Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. Director/producer Ron Howard and Cate Blanchett on the set of Revolution Studios' suspense thriller The Missing, a Columbia Pictures release. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett) sees her teenage daughter, Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood), kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel (Tommy Lee Jones), in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lilly back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.
Director
Ron Howard
Producer
Ron Howard, Daniel Ostroff, Brian Grazer
Screenwriter
Ken Kaufman
Distributor
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Revolution Studios, Imagine Entertainment
Rating
R (Violence)
Genre
Western, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 26, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 17, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.9M
Runtime
2h 15m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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