missing, the

THE FLICK: The films of Ron Howard are remarkable mainly because they are so unremarkable. Drifting from genre to genre with a consistent amount of box-office success, the director seems to bend his style to suit each new project he undertakes. But the result is often a “film by committee,” hitting all the expected notes but never getting over the creative hump. With “The Missing,” the first project from Howard’s production company, Imagine, that wasn’t created in-house, we finally see a sliver of the heart of darkness the director always kept hidden. Starring Cate Blanchett as a frontier medicine woman and Tommy Lee Jones as her estranged white-Indian mystic father, together they track down a group of renegade Indians who have captured Blanchett’s daughter and plan to sell her into slavery at the Mexican border. Their journey puts them in harm’s way from flash floods, Army scouts, Indian curses, and their own family animosity. Billed as a Western Thriller, the film combines well-drawn characters with some over-the-top bad guys to keep the action moving. Tommy Lee Jones has finally found a character as good as (if not better) than his role in “The Fugitive.” His droll delivery and tough-guy demeanor are the high points of the film. While Blanchett’s always dependable performance provides backbone for the more emotional scenes. Even the child actors (particularly Jenna Boyd) manage to keep it real. Combine this with Howard’s newfound authenticity and darker storytelling style and “The Missing” really hits the mark. THE FEATURES: The only thing “The Missing” is really missing on DVD is a full-length commentary from Howard. But even that is acceptable since a slew of other well-produced extras take up the slack. There are 11 deleted scenes (all of which I felt should have been left in, which is pretty rare) and 3 alternate endings, which are just various takes on Tommy Lee Jones final scene. Also, a reel of outtakes with goofy mistakes and screw-ups (which seemed oddly inappropriate for such a serious film). 4 featurettes cover the production aspects of the film with interviews from Howard and others. The Story of the Missing discusses the transition of the novel to the screen. Making the Missing is a longer (1/2 hour) look at several facets of the film, from the steadicam cinematography to making the most of bad weather. The Modern Western Score gives composer James Horner a chance to speak his mind. Casting the Missing provides details on the principal stars and their individual reasons for taking on the project. Val Kilmer’s cameo as an Army Lieutenant, it turns out, was a happy accident since the actor lived only 45 minutes away. Finally, Apache Language School introduces us to the on-set advisors who made sure the actors could walk the walk and talk the talk. Ron Howard gets to be his own mouthpiece in a series of short blurbs entitled Home Movies, John Wayne, Editing, The Filmmaking Process, His Love For Westerns, and Conventions of Westerns. Each runs between 2 and 5 minutes and covers topics ranging from his philosophy on shooting (it’s just gathering raw materials...the real film is made in the editing room), his memories of working with John Wayne (seems the Duke really paid attention to the details), and his early students films starring brother Clint Howard. The films themselves, 8mm epics The Deed of Daring Do/Cards, Cads, Guns, Gore and Death/Old Paint are included as well, which shows Howard is just a humble as he makes himself out to be. Fun in a naïve sort of way, they’re homespun tributes to the films that inspired the director as a kid. Photo galleries featuring the Cast, Production and Locations round out the DVD package. FINAL SCORE: Could this be the real Ron Howard? If so, “The Missing” is a step in the right direction. It’s a standout not only in Howard’s predictable career, but also in the entire new-age Western genre. More intense than Costner’s “Open Range,” this is a thriller that’s got some horsepower.