Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- oppressive
- paranoid
- late night thriller viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly found the premise sturdy and the performances gripping, especially Jake Gyllenhaal’s intense central work, while viewing the remake as less distinctive than the Danish original.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Joe investigates an emergency exclusively through phone calls, dispatch systems, and remote information from the 911 center.
Joe constructs a version of the abduction from fragmentary calls and dispatch details before confronting the limits of his assumptions.
Joe’s attempt to save Emily is inseparable from his own police conduct and the consequences he is trying to avoid.
Emily, Henry, and other participants are primarily encountered through voice performances while Joe remains in the dispatch room.
Films like The Guilty, and why
Locke
Shares a claustrophobic single-location structure, procedural urgency, and psychologically strained protagonist.
The Call
Like The Guilty, uses a telephone-centered crisis to explore guilt, responsibility, and escalating suspense.
Training Day
Shares police corruption themes, morally compromised law enforcement, and intense psychological thriller energy.
Den skyldige
A contained crime thriller built around emergency communications, uncertainty, and an emotionally volatile central performance.
Movie Details
- Director
- Antoine Fuqua
- Release Date
- 2021-09-24
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (3273)
Cast
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Ethan Hawke
- Riley Keough
- Peter Sarsgaard
- Christina Vidal Mitchell
- Paul Dano
- Eli Goree
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph
- David Castañeda
- Adrian Martinez
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Guilty about?
- A disgraced 911 operator races through a phone-bound emergency while his own guilt distorts every desperate clue.
- What is The Guilty like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Guilty as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Guilty violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Guilty as mild.
- What did critics think of The Guilty?
- Critics broadly found the premise sturdy and the performances gripping, especially Jake Gyllenhaal’s intense central work, while viewing the remake as less distinctive than the Danish original.
- Which films are like The Guilty?
- Films with a similar feel include Locke, The Call, Training Day, and Den skyldige.
- How long is The Guilty?
- The Guilty runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Guilty?
- In United States, The Guilty streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
