Duty calls and so do idiots 📞🚨🚑

When I was a young boy, I used to get Jake Gyllenhaal confused with Tobey Maguire all of the time. It wasn't until 2009 when the film Brothers was released, and the two of them were in it together, that I realized they were actually two different actors. The easiest way to remember which guy is which is that Maguire was Spider-Man way back and Gyllenhaal as Mysterio in the Spider-Man movies now. Personally, I like Jake much more than Tobey. Check this image below for a few comparisons, you cannot deny the fact that they look a lot alike.

I had been seeing this new movie called The Guilty coming across my Netflix feed a lot here recently. It was in my queue, but it wasn't until recently that I actually took the time to watch it. Turns out it was nothing like I expected it to be, but Jake Gyllenhaal had a killer performance with his role as Joe Baylor. Plus some of the best GIFs ever originated from Joe's very anxious and inhaler-reliant character. Take a look at a few of my favorites below, then we will get on with talks about why you may enjoy watching this film.

So basically Joe is a committed police officer who for some unknown reason has been lowered in the ranks to a lowly 911 operator. Don't get me wrong, this is a vital job and you can help save people's lives by answering these calls. I've personally known people who did this in the past and I respect them a lot, it is very stressful. However, Joe considers it grunt work in comparison to being out in the streets and getting hands-on with emergencies rather than doing telecommunications.

Joe is an amalgamation of all sorts of powerful character traits. He looks like he is in great health, but also gets close to passing out often if he doesn't hit his inhaler. He is very kind and caring but can blow up with rage out of nowhere if things don't go smoothly. Joe stands out in a room full of dull 911 operators, you can tell he does not belong there.

It is very easy to put yourself in Joe's shoes and imagine how annoying it would be to have to answer some of the more meaningless emergency dials to his direct line. I'm sure we all know the people who do something stupid or just freak out way too easily and jump straight to a worst-case scenario by hitting the ER or dialing 911. Although most calls are vital situations, there are also going to be countless calls that make you go wtf is this person talking to me for. Even those calls must be handled professionally, which is not easy for somebody like Joe.

Eventually, he gets a call from a woman named Emily Lighton. We never actually see this lady and neither does Joe. That doesn't stop him from becoming attached to her situation and feeling the need to do absolutely anything to help her. I really expected Joe to leave his work and go out to help, but that never happens. All of this movie takes place from the comfort of his work chair in front of computer screens. Don't let that trick you into thinking this movie is boring, because it is far from that. Pretty much the entire time I was on the edge of my seat and feeling Joe's stress ooze from my tv.

Emily says she was kidnapped and cannot really give much more information besides some very minor details. Joe's determination and useful tech within his reach allow him to discover more and more about Emily's situation. None of this comes easy and Joe loses his cool frequently since he feels trapped inside of his workplace when he is used to being out on the streets. It was awesome to see what information a 911 operator has and what they do not have. For instance, I didn't know that they only had your approximate location and not your exact location when you call.

Of course, we end up getting more pieces to the puzzle that is Joe's demotion. The mystery slowly unravels itself, as does what is going on with Emily. Once one of your questions is answered you pretty much immediately have a new question you are asking. The movie does a great job of encouraging you to seek more info about what is happening.

I really do not want to give away the important parts of this plot. If I went into more detail about what happens in The Guilty, it would surely spoil the memorable surprises. This film does a wonderful job of showing that fancy set design, special effects, and all sorts of other nonsense are not needed to tell a good story. There is pretty much no other actors that get major screen-time besides Jake Gyllenhaal and it is totally fine with me since he kills it.

The Guilty solidified my belief that being a 911 operator would be a totally miserable career to get stuck in. Sure you would be able to help many people and that would feel great, but you would very often be left with so many questions after your calls. My own curiosity would drive me nuts just like it did Joe Baylor. I've got the trailer down below for you if you want to get a closer look at what this movie is all about. I hope that my blog post today was interesting to you and perhaps alerted you to a movie that fits your desires.