Institute History
Description
John Rosow is a private detective prone to sardonic wit, gin, and the endless repercussions of what happens when you mix the two. Powerful lawyer Drexler Hewitt wants Rosow to tail a mysterious middle-aged man who is traveling with a Mexican boy from Chicago to Los Angeles. Hewitt’s loyal, stern assistant, Miss Charley, waits at the door with cash and instructions. But when Rosow hits Santa Monica, his objective changes: now he has to bring the man back to New York—for a cool half mil. Through his various dealings with an odd cast of characters—a cabdriver who knows his Catholic saints, a Segway-riding L.A. cop, meddling FBI agents, and femme fatales—Rosow begins to unravel the strange tale of the missing middle-aged man and learns something about himself along the way.
The Missing Person is a stunning, modern-day film noir. It creates a desaturated world of color with the most luscious lighting you could dream of. Michael Shannon is perfect as Rosow, with a face and demeanor that bring the character to startling life. Under the airtight direction of Noah Buschel, Shannon’s Rosow is reminiscent of Elliott Gould as Phillip Marlow in The Long Goodbye or Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly—gruff, lovable, flawed, and doing the best they can.