Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This film draws you in with characters and events like any good crime mystery novel would. The cast are excellent in their portrayals. If you don't know the story it's based on you'll probably figure it out soon on, or maybe see something of the dreaded red herring. Just watch it and enjoy storytelling that doesn't need SFX let alone CGI.

I have to agree with an earlier comment; where is the DVD for this movie??? I for one would certainly purchase the DVD, and actually maybe a couple for keepsake. I came onto this site at 4:45 am to find out how I could purchase this movie again. Let me just advise you that I noticed this movie came on about 1:30am and even having to be at work by 8am this morning I still stayed awake to watch this movie. I am a movie buff, there are "tons" of movies I love but this movie tops them all. The only thing I am sorry about is that I did know this movie was based on a true story and by reading some of the posts in here I found that the true story did not have a happy ending like the movie. When I read that the little boy, Etan, was never found I felt like I swallowed my heart and I kind of feel like, we the viewers who love this movie, are we selling the real family short by enjoying a movie that is not the actual story? I could never tear myself away from watching/wanting this movie but I do feel bad for the real family. I have seen this movie so many times that it doesn't take me until the ending to cry. I think I start to "churn" at the point that Judd and "his son" get into the car on their way because I know what is about to happen, and yes I cry every single time, doesn't matter how many times I have (and will) see this movie. I am studying criminal justice and this movie has me wondering if maybe I should just go into a field of dealing with missing children, but I don't know if I could handle the disappointment because I am almost certain that the outcome of a high percentage of cases is that of a depressing ending. Okay, so I have babbled enough, I just had to put my "two cents" in on how much I LOVE THIS MOVIE TOO. If anyone ever gets any additional information on this movie being available on DVD please don't hesitate to email me and inform me of that. ([email protected])

Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch both give outstanding performances as the mother of a missing child and the detective determined to find him. I felt so bad for this poor woman when her little boy disappeared. Nelligan wonderfully conveys this mother's anguish and you feel angry on her behalf when they question her about her being the guilty party! Judd Hirsch had been nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in Ordinary People and he proves here that it wasn't a lucky fluke. He plays a man who is a tough, professional police officer, but at the same time he still has a caring heart and feels for this poor mother. He plays a tough sob with his heart on his sleeve so wonderfully. It is a tribute to these two fine actors that they make their characters seem so real that your heart aches for them. Actually, there are many children who vanish in the United States every year, most of these are runaways or children who are abducted by non-custodial parents. "Stranger" abductions are really very rare, but they are the most heartbreaking and tragic, like Adam Walsh's abduction. This film SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT, had an ending that was one of the happiest that I have ever seen in a movie. I saw Without A Trace two decades ago and I still remember how I felt like rejoicing like a sinner in church when Alex was found and they brought him home! I almost cried because I only wish that real life could be like this and that all abducted children could return home. I wanted to point out that this movie is based on a real life child abduction that has not had a happy ending at all. In May of 1979, a little boy in New York named Etan Patz left to go to his bus stop to go to school and disappeared without a trace. He was finally declared legally dead a few years ago. Many people have credited the disappearance of Etan Patz with awakening people to the plight of missing children.

I can't believe that a movie could cause such an emotional upheaval in my body. I cried because the character development between the boy and his mother was very good. Judd Hirsch did a great job as the detective willing to go out on a limb for the mother. This was a good movie back in 1983 and still a good video to watch.