The Guilty Movie Ending Explained, Review, And More
by Rajalaxmi
Updated Feb 24, 2023
The Guilty Movie
The Guilty was released on Netflix and tells the story of a troubled police officer who receives an emergency call from a kidnapped woman. As the story unfolds, the audience is taken on a tense journey filled with twists and turns.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays the role of Joe Baylor, a demoted police officer who is working the graveyard shift at the 911 emergency call center. Joe has a troubled past and is haunted by a mistake he made while on duty, which led to the death of a young girl. He is seeking redemption and a chance to prove himself to his colleagues and himself.
One night, Joe receives a call from a woman named Emily, who claims that she has been kidnapped and is being held captive in a car. Joe tries to keep Emily on the phone while he tries to gather information to find her location. As he delves deeper into the case, he realizes that there is more to Emily's story than meets the eye.
The entire movie takes place in the call center, with Joe interacting with other dispatchers and officers as he tries to solve the case. The tension builds as Joe becomes emotionally invested in the case and begins to lose control of his emotions. The audience is taken on a ride as they try to unravel the mystery of Emily's abduction alongside Joe.
One of the strengths of The Guilty is its pacing. The movie moves quickly and keeps the audience engaged throughout its 90-minute runtime. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a powerful performance, perfectly portraying Joe's emotional journey as he tries to solve the case and come to terms with his past.
The movie also explores themes of redemption, guilt, and trauma. Joe's character is a troubled individual who is trying to find his way back to being a good person. Emily's story also touches on trauma and the effects it can have on a person's life.
The Guilty Movie Ending Explained
The Guilty, Antoine Fuqua's new Netflix thriller, is a gripping one-man show starring Jake Gyllenhaal as disgraced cop Joe Baylor. Working at an emergency response center in Los Angeles on a busy night, Joe receives a call from a woman named Emily, who appears to be the victim of a kidnapping at the hands of her ex-husband Henry. Joe's hero instincts kick in, and he commands his colleagues to do whatever it takes to rescue Emily and reunite her with her children.
However, it soon becomes clear that Joe doesn't have the entire story, and acting on impulse may have been what got him into trouble to begin with. We learn that Joe is awaiting trial for killing a man while on active duty, an action he cannot explain or rationalize. Despite his former sergeant and others indicating that he'll be acquitted and back on patrol in no time, Joe feels compelled to rescue Emily and prove that he can save lives.
As the night unfolds, it becomes evident that Joe's read of the situation is completely wrong. Abby, Emily's daughter who was left behind when Emily was supposedly kidnapped, is covered in blood, and her brother Oliver has been gravely injured. Emily herself reveals that she hurt Oliver, believing that he had "snakes in his stomach" that she needed to remove. When Joe finally speaks to Henry, he learns that Emily had been off her medication and that Henry was taking her back to a psychiatric facility.
Emily eventually calls Joe back from atop an overpass, indicating that she's going to jump to her death to be with Oliver. Joe reveals his own situation of how he killed a man in an effort to relate with Emily, but it momentarily works before Emily decides to end her life. Thankfully, CHP is able to get Emily down from the overpass, and Oliver's wounds are not fatal.
After all the drama, Joe decides to face the consequences of his actions and pleads guilty to manslaughter. The film ends with news reports indicating that Joe was found guilty.
The Guilty's theme revolves around the idea that broken people save broken people. Joe's behavior throughout the film highlights how he may have made a quick, dangerous decision that led to him shooting an innocent man. His experiences on this night force him to stop avoiding and rationalizing his actions and see them for what they are. By helping another guilty soul like himself, Joe starts down the road to redemption, admitting that he was guilty was the first real step.
The Guilty Movie Review
The narrative of Antoine Fuqua’s “The Guilty” operates on the motto of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The screenwriter, Nic Pizzolatto (“True Detective”), does add a few different notes of commentary on American policing and ignorant masculinity that slightly distinguish his take thematically. Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal delivers an excellent performance as the protagonist, Joe Baylor, proving once again that he is one of the most consistent actors alive.
The skeleton of the thriller is almost identical to the original, starting with a clever little prologue that sets up our flawed protagonist, Joe Baylor. We meet him on the night shift in a 911 dispatch center in Los Angeles, where the city is burning on massive screens in the background. He is an asthmatic who has been forced to use his inhaler even more in this era of smoke and flame. He is also wrestling with an undefined controversy that demoted him from LAPD officer to dispatcher and has led to calls from reporters. Finally, he is dealing with a separation from his family and is trying to call his daughter just to say goodnight. All of this oppressive tension leads him to quickly judge the people who call him, like when he scolds a caller for taking drugs or argues with another who has been robbed by a prostitute on Bunker Hill.
The Guilty Movie Ending Explained - FAQs
"The Guilty" is a 2021 American thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Nic Pizzolatto. It follows the story of a demoted police officer, Joe Baylor (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), who answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman. As he tries to save her, he begins to unravel a mystery that could jeopardize his job, his sanity, and even his own life.
The lead role of Joe Baylor is played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Other actors in the film include Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Paul Dano, and Peter Sarsgaard.
No, "The Guilty" is not based on a true story. It is a work of fiction written by Nic Pizzolatto.
"The Guilty" is available to stream on Netflix.
The runtime of "The Guilty" movie is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.