MISSING (1982)
January 15

I remember seeing Missing when it hit theaters in 1982. I was only five at the time (and by five, I mean 15), but Costa-Gavras' film made an instant impression--powerful and painful. Watching it again today, I'm no longer shocked by the behavior of the American government. Cynically, I almost expect it. But Jack Lemmon--playing the father of an American writer arrested and missing in post-coup Chile in 1973--expects much more. Slowly, he descends from naive true believer to enraged protective parent, delivering an Oscar®-nominated performance.

It's a true story--or based on one, at least. Charlie Horman (John Shea) and his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) live in Chile during the coup overthrowing President Salvador Allende. Not long after, Charlie is led away by soldiers and never heard from again. Beth assumes the Americans know more about Charlie and the coup than they claim (they do) and Spacek's thinly concealed contempt for the embassy staff gives the film some timely levity.

When Lemmon arrives, he instantly clashes with daughter-in-law Spacek as they search for Charlie. First they blame each other, before Lemmon comes to realize that his worldview is off its axis. Talking to Spacek, Lemmon calls his son "deliberately naive." But the point is clear--it's not the son, but rather the father who doesn't understand the world.

It seems foolish to write, but is it possible, despite two Oscars® and six more nominations, that Lemmon is underrated? Do we acknowledge him as one of the great actors of all-time? Few others transitioned--seemingly effortlessly--from comedies like Some Like It Hot, The Apartment and The Odd Couple to dramatic performances such as The China Syndrome and Missing. But that's the (still-underrated) genius of Jack Lemmon.

by Ben Mankiewicz