This movie is gut-wrenching obviously. When Jess finds her daughter that is the toughest most real scene in the movie. Director/Writer Billy Ray (writer of "Captain Phillips") lets Julia go. Chiwetel assists, but this is Julia's moment. Jess is broken from that moment on in the movie (rightly so). What is hard to swallow is the contrivances after. From the shoddy way the detectives illegally search the suspect's home to their interrogation. Even I know almost everything they did was inadmissible in court. Which begs the question why'd they even do that? After most of what Bumpy & Ray did without a warrant why? Poor Jess wasn't even mad at them. I woulda ripped their testicles out. And the ending was a WTF moment (not in a good way). No spoilers.
Oddly enough with Julia & Nicole Oscar winning actresses and Chiwetel & Billy Ray Oscar nominated the two people that I wanted to see in scenes over anyone were Joe Cole (the main antagonist of the movie) and Ross Partridge, Claire's fiance Ellis. Oddly enough Ellis is in ONE scene, but I think it's probably because these two characters give a different aspect to the doom and gloom. Plus they are amazing actors. I have a feeling Joe will be a major star. He's like Michael Pitt meets Tom Cruise.
Overall I give this 3 out of 5 stars. It was better than the dreck out there, but could've been so much more. I'm not mad I saw it, just pissed it wasn't perfectly executed. If this is ever remade I hope it's fixed. Then it will be a 5 out of 5