10. The Missing Person
Michael Shannon is one of the most fascinating and underrated actors working today. His performance in last years Premium Rush with Joseph Gordon-Levitt ranks among the best villainous performances in recent years- his dirty cop Bobby Monday is pathetic yet extremely unhinged and dangerous. He delivers another fine performance in the little seen The Missing Person from 2008. The plot is fairly straightforward- Shannon plays private detective John Rosow, who is hired to follow a man named Harold Fullmer (Frank Wood) and bring him back home to his wife Megan (Linda Emond). It turns out Fullmer is a survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He disappeared soon after, creating a new life for himself, but was recently discovered to still be alive. This provides an unexpected connection between Fullmer and Rosow- Rosows wife died on September 11. Rosow, who suffered a horrible loss, at first, cannot understand why Harold would cause so much pain to his wife. But soon Rosow comes to understand why Fullmer decided to change the course of his life. The Missing Person has both a pleasantly old fashioned noir feel, while beautifully and tastefully relating its small scale story to the great tragedy of the 21st century. Its a small gem of a film that deserves a look.