The Missing Person 2009

Nicolas Rapold, Time Out: Though Ryan Samul's textured cinematography makes the stubble and shadows seem nearly 3-D, the story chokes on a dull twist from Rosow's past. Read more

Mike Hale, New York Times: Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Shannon's performance takes The Missing Person as far as it goes, but when a real-world tragedy commandeers the story, Buschel's thin pastiche falls to pieces. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: The real mystery here is how writer-director Noah Buschel talked recent supporting Oscar nominees Michael Shannon and Amy Ryan into doing this movie. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Buschel makes striking use of the Mike Hammer/Philip Marlowe tradition to tell a story of disorientation and loss in a post-9/11 world where the Twin Towers can go missing too. Read more

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: Michael Shannon is a handsome kook whose turns in Revolutionary Road, Bug and this have earmarked him to be the next Jack Nicholson (or at least the next Christopher Walken) Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: It's a great-looking movie, with an evocative use of music and, in rugged-yet-sensitive Michael Shannon, has an actor whose forceful, focused presence is the film's sturdy linchpin. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: "So you make jokes and smoke cigarettes," a lady in the murk summarizes. Yeah. Isn't that enough? Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: There's a pretty good film if you give writer-director Noah Buschel a chance. The 31-year-old crafts a convincing noir tale, with a sense of realism that makes the experience pleasingly voyeuristic. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: A drab, pale-looking affair without a trace of visual style, this cross-country pursuit yarn fights a losing battle to sustain viewer attention via narrative alone, so much does it flounder for lack of imagistic flair. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: All of which is well and artsy, but doesn't diminish the sense, once the mystery has untangled, that the film has been gesturing toward a profundity that isn't there. Read more