The Guilty (Den skyldige) (2018)
93%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Sleek, well-acted, and intelligently crafted, The Guilty is a high-concept thriller that wrings maximum impact out of a handful of basic – and effective – ingredients.
The Guilty is a Danish thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, even though it takes place in just a few drab rooms. The film’s clever use of modern communications adds to the tension, and the twists and turns will leave you guessing until the very end. Despite its limitations, The Guilty is a masterclass in suspense and proves that a sharp script is the best special effect. So make the right call and watch this movie immediately!
Production Company(ies)
Fine Line Features, Capitol Films, Channel Four Films,
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout.
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 25m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 19, 2018 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 5, 2019
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
Keyword(s)
starring Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Omar Shargawi, Johan Olsen, Jacob Lohmann, Katinka Evers-Jahnsen, directed by Gustav Möller, written by Gustav Möller, Emil Nygaard Albertsen, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, R rating, box office gross $206.2K, reviewed by Ben Sachs, Paul Byrnes, David Stratton, Tom Long, Wendy Ide, Gus Edgar, Brian Eggert, Ruth Maramis, Taylor Baker, David Nusair, Dennis Harvey, single location, emergency call, kidnapped woman, police officer, alarm dispatcher, high-concept thriller, basic ingredients, effective, intelligently crafted, well-acted, sleek, maximum impact, strengths and weaknesses of modern communications, Danish, Magnolia Pictures, Lina Flint, Asger Holm, Iben, Rashid, Michael, Bo, Mathilde
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jessica Dinnage – Iben
Omar Shargawi – Rashid
Johan Olsen – Michael
Jacob Lohmann – Bo
Katinka Evers-Jahnsen – Mathilde
Director(s)
Gustav Möller
Writer(s)
Gustav Möller, Emil Nygaard Albertsen
Producer(s)
Lina Flint
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (120) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (117) | Rotten (3)
This Danish potboiler is organized around a few nimbly executed plot twists, and like many similarly designed thrillers, it leaves the audience with little to think about once all the surprises have been revealed.
April 13, 2020
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The Guilty is a clever Danish thriller that takes full advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of modern communications.
February 25, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Despite its self-imposed limitations, the skilfully made The Guilty excels as a compelling and tense evening in the cinema.
February 22, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
“The Guilty” is a nerve-wracking exercise in tension that also manages to reveal itself in layers, leaving assumptions dashed on the floor.
January 25, 2019 | Rating: B+
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
A masterclass in wringing breathless tension from just a few key ingredients.
October 29, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Make the right call and watch this immediately.
October 26, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Gus Edgar
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Despite the film taking place in a few drab rooms filled with computer monitors and coworkers out of focus in the background, it somehow manages to be uncommonly engaging.
March 2, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Films contained in a single location like this only works efficiently when you’ve got a sharp, astute script… how refreshing to see a film where the writing is the best special effects.
September 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Ruth Maramis
FlixChatter Film Blog
Episode 23: Vox Lux / The Guilty / Shoplifters / The Mule / Rififi
September 3, 2021 | Rating: 82/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
…compulsively watchable…
December 2, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
There are some startling yet credible twists, and Cedergren’s performance gradually reveals complex layers in a character who at first seems anything but complicated, or sympathetic.
October 22, 2020
Dennis Harvey
48 Hills
Its simplicity sometimes dips into shallowness, but for most of its 85 minutes, The Guilty is quiet and self-assured.
July 24, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Matt Cipolla
Film Monthly…
Plot
The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger-but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jakob Cedergren delivers a terrific central performance in The Guilty.
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