(1999 feature film)

Bruce Greenwood plays the villainous Friedman, a role described in pre-publicity as "small but very important -- a pivotal part that would give away the plot" if more information were supplied. A darkly effective film noir mystery, The Lost Son is a contemporary thriller about a French private detective (Daniel Auteuil) operating in London, who's employed by a wealthy elderly couple to find their missing 30-year-old son. His investigation eventually leads to the debonair mastermind behind a ring to sell children into pornography, an Austrian living in London named Friedman, whose operation runs out of Mexico.

Although Greenwood's screen time is limited, his scenes are quite powerful and central to the plot. He employs an authentic German accent to create a chillingly effective character with disturbingly evil charm. We also "see" him earlier when the French detective enters his London flat and looks up at a huge portrait of him hanging over the fireplace.

Filming was done in London, Los Angeles and Tucson, AZ, (doubling for Nogales, Mexico) though all of Bruce's scenes were shot in the U.S. The film made the rounds of festivals and opened in the UK in June, 1999, but its scheduled US distribution was delayed several times and finally dropped altogether. It has been released on video, however, and is often shown over pay stations in both Canada and the United States.

Scala Films / Arts Council of England / UGC International, 1999.

Sound File from The Lost Son

Friedman's confession

39 secs