True story about a missing young man is less a criminal drama or crime-mystery than it is an indictment of the justice system, the entanglements of legal procedures, jurisdictional red tape and the incompetence of government officials. Ellen Burstyn shows true grit as the mother of the college student who vanished, last heard from in Nebraska after his van broke down while driving from Ottawa, Canada to Boulder, Colorado to attend classes. TV-movie has the kid's determined mother, his older brother, his father from Los Angeles and an elderly private investigator running into one roadblock after another while tracking the path of the boy's stolen van, receipts from his credit card and his cashed traveler's checks. Although the film was nominated for an Eddie for Eric A. Sears' editing, its muddled midsection really could have used some paring down (instead of getting answers, such as how one nasty felon with a list of priors managed to pass a lie detector test, we are treated to incidentals at Burstyn's job and the detective's marriage). Also, the opening, showing the high energy relationship between the kid in question and his family, rings false (it's too blatantly perky--I'm guessing to provide a contrast to the bleak circumstances that follow). Frustrated Burstyn gets a chance to blow off some steam, and she's terrific when she takes on indifferent authority figures, however the reenactment at the finale of the boy's fate is extremely hard to watch. A purposefully depressing experience overall, but nevertheless an engrossing story.
Review of Into Thin Air
