The Missing

The Missing is a 2003 American Western film directed by Ron Howard and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. It is based on Thomas Eidson's 1996 novel The Last Ride. The film is set in 1885 New Mexico Territory and is notable for the authentic use of the Apache language by various actors, some of whom spent long hours studying it. The film was produced by Revolution Studios, Imagine Entertainment, and Daniel Ostroff Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures Releasing). Plot In late 19th-century New Mexico, Samuel Jones arrives at the house of his adult daughter Magdalena "Maggie" Gilkeson, hoping to reconcile with her after abandoning her and her mother decades before. She is unable to forgive him, feeling he caused her mother's early death, and turns him away the next morning. Renegade Apache Pesh-Chidin, alias El Brujo and followers raid the area, killing settlers and taking young women and girls to sell into sex slavery in Mexico. Among those abducted is Maggie's eldest daughter, Lilly. Maggie's rancher boyfriend Brake Baldwin was among the settlers killed. Maggie secures her father's release from jail, and the two decide to go after the abducted girls, taking the youngest daughter Dot with them. The sheriff is unwilling to spare men for the mission. The party encounter some U.S. Cavalry soldiers at another ranch that was attacked by El Brujo. These men suspect Jones as having led the raiders, but Maggie eases the situation. The lieutenant in charge evades helping them, as he must lead his unit to carry out the forced relocation of captive Native Americans. Maggie, her father, and her younger daughter Dot are the only ones tracking El Brujo and his warriors. After the three fail to ambush the raiders, they are rescued by Kayitah, a Chiricahua friend of Jones. Kayitah and his son Honesco are also tracking El Brujo because Honesco's fiancee is among the captives. Kayitah and Honesco agree to join Maggie and her family. Kayitah tells her that her father had traveled for some time with his Chiricahua band, who called him Chaa-duu-ba-its-iidan.