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The Vanishing

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The Vanishing - Movie Review@smendel1978d

Every year hundreds, if not thousands, of people disappear. Many are not found and it is never discovered exactly what happened to them. The Vanishing featured a woman’s disappearance and how her boyfriend dealt with it.

Barney Cousins, who seems to have a perfect life with his wife and daughter, was planning and then attempting to kidnap a young woman. He wasn't after a specific woman and it really wasn't clear why he wanted to kidnap someone.

[source](https://static.fusionmovies.to/images/character/X8wPPxiWoRK60aVxq0Ek5iJWTnfiNn97dBXGmXImfv-MhAuAQyK9I-3HHJ3YfVUjKeDQ3nIrANpTSuqzmsKCGLG0x-L12I_0UHeQSk-9H4g.jpg?1 )

Jeff Harriman and his girlfriend Diane Shaver were on a vacation together. After having a disagreement, they stopped at a gas station and Diane headed into the store to get some snacks. Diane never returned to the car. Jeff didn’t feel like enough was being done to find Diane and took some matters into in his own hands. Three years later he had gotten involved with Rita but he was still trying to find Diane or answers to what had happened to her. Rita was getting more upset about that and pushing Jeff to stop.

The Vanishing was based on a book by Tim Krabbe. A Dutch movie, Spoorloos, was made in 1998 that was based on the same book. I’ve never read the book or seen that movie version. I have read some things online about how the ending was different for this version of the movie and how many people prefer the ending that was used in Spoorloos. Certain things did seem a bit contrived with the ending though there was a full sense of closure. Some people probably won’t like the ending. I do think the ending in Spoorloos was probably more realistic and disturbing though I’m not sure that I would like it more.

The first several minutes of The Vanishing were devoted to showing Barney with his wife and daughter. He seemed to have a happy life with them, though he was keeping a secret from them. It was clear right from the beginning that he was planning to kidnap a woman for some reason and was even shown in some failed attempts. The movie then switched to showing Jeff and Diane on their trip shortly before she disappeared. The fact that at least some of Barney’s plan was shared so early in the movie did eliminate the possibility for more mystery. There were still suspenseful scenes in the movie. I just think there could have been more mystery and suspense if certain things had been handled differently. There was some violence in a few scenes that wasn’t too graphic.

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Most of the movie was focused on how Jeff dealt with Diane disappearing. As time passed, the police wasn’t really doing anything to try to find her and Jeff was the only one trying to get answers. He had to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing what had happened to her and he did end up being obsessed. I thought it was understandable and believable that Jeff would be that determined to find answers. It is very scary to think that people can vanish from a public place in the middle of the day like Diane did. Not knowing what had happened would probably be worse than knowing for sure. That played a big part in why Jeff did certain things, a few of which weren’t smart. I understood his need for answers and closure, but I still thought he was incredibly stupid to do one thing in particular. Flashbacks were effectively used to share certain things and answer some questions later in the movie. It was very clear when the flashbacks were being used.

Given the fact that Jeff was still so determined to either find Diane or find out what had happened to her, he probably wasn’t really ready to be in another committed relationship like he got into with Rita. When they first met, she showed him a lot of compassion. The movie skipped over how they actually started dating and showed them moving in together. After that, Rita wasn’t as understanding about Jeff’s need to find out what had happened. He knew she would be upset, so he kept what he was doing from her which caused her to snoop. Their relationship wasn’t stable and added absolutely no romance to the movie. I think it was added in just to cause more drama.

Diane was very important to the overall plot of The Vanishing even though she was only in a small amount of the movie. She seemed like a really nice young woman who was happy with Jeff even though they’d had the disagreement. The movie wouldn’t have been as effective if Diane hadn’t been so likable. This was one of the first movies that Sandra Bullock was in and I think it was the first performance she was really noticed for. I’ve heard that this small role did lead to the movies that ultimately made her famous.

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Jeff was in more of the movie than the other characters so he did end up being more developed. The majority of the movie was focused on his obsession with finding answers. He let that take over every aspect of his life for a long time. Kiefer Sutherland was really good and believable in the part. Rita became a main character after she and Jeff met. She showed him a lot of compassion then that seemed to be gone after they moved in together. She kept getting angry with Jeff and gave him ultimatums about what he was doing. She couldn’t or wouldn’t accept that he just needed answers and she got to the point where she wasn’t understanding with him at all. She got annoying and I didn’t like her at all. She also did something rather stupid later in the movie. Nancy Travis was fine in the part.

Barney was another important character that wasn’t in as much of the movie as Jeff. Barney was around longer than Diane was and he was actually introduced first. He was a college professor with a wife and daughter that he loved. He looked like a normal, sane, nonthreatening man which wasn’t the case at all. He was evil and an effective villain since he appeared to be so normal. Jeff Bridges was amazing in the part. Barney was very different from every other character I’ve ever seen him play. He was consistent in the way he had Barney act and he used a unique voice for the character. Barney’s wife and daughter were in a few scenes without really being that important to what was going on.

[source](https://static.fusionmovies.to/images/character/LJ35EANyUONGVI-LQ_hOOkG9rkI1uZL6YjBquw0zfBZw2iFkLTko4uVdjAm88sWF6Uc03hDlVAmI8H_1aIUi1z9WcKYqL_GHlpUjC7bdTzA.jpg?1)

I have seen The Vanishing on television a few times. It was the first time in years that I had seen the movie when I recently found it on one of the movie channels I get.

The Vanishing had a few problems and could have had a stronger mystery but it was still entertaining and worth watching.

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›The Vanishing (2018) - Psychological thriller with 3 lighthouse keepers@dedicatedguy2230d
This is a cross post of @dedicatedguy/the-vanishing-2018-psychological-thriller-with-3-lighthouse-keepers by @dedicatedguy.

Post in tune with the interests of the community.

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›The Vanishing (1988) - "Sometimes I imagine she's alive. Somewhere far away..."@dedicatedguy2251d
This is a cross post of @dedicatedguy/the-vanishing-1988-sometimes-i-imagine-she-s-alive-somewhere-far-away by @dedicatedguy.

Post in tune with the interests of the community.

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›The Vanishing (1988) - "Sometimes I imagine she's alive. Somewhere far away..."@dedicatedguy2251d
I remember reading good things about this movie months ago. But it wasn't until very recently I was finally able to give it a watch. The truth is, I think I was a bit hyped after reading all those wonderful things about this film. Having such high expectations might have spoiled my experience a little bit.

The story is about a Dutch couple on vacation in France. They are having a good time and the woman decides to go buy some beverages in a rest stop but she never returns. Since she had the car keys the man is unable to move the car. He begins to search for her near the shop but she is nowhere to be seen. She simply vanished.

Years later, the man begins to receive letters from an unknown individual offering to meet in person. One day after, he does meet the mysterious person. All he wants to do is to know what happened with his girlfriend.

His biggest problem is that he will now have to deal with a real sociopath. This disturbed man doesn't look like a dangerous person. In fact, he seems like a normal family man. Underneath that gentle touch, there is a man without consciousness capable of the cruelest acts one can think of.

However, he doesn't take risks. He acts in a very calculated way and always has a well-designed plan to have his own way. The missing girl's boyfriend, on the other hand, finds himself in a very vulnerable position between the deep need to know what happened and the risk of having to interact with this man.

The acting was good, the best-acted character was in my opinion, the villain. His performance was far from other iconic performances of sociopaths/psychopaths like the ones we can find in movies such as American Psycho or Nightcrawler, but this character was clearly the most interesting to me.

The story despite being very simple, is intriguing enough and can keep most people interested in it even though the movie does have its slow moments. It is not a scary movie and not very disturbing. It shouldn't be hard to find other movies that are more impactful. However, it has a proper ending that could be shocking for some people.

If you enjoy the mystery/thriller genres, then you should definitely check this movie out. It is worth watching but far from the best.

The best

Good plot and acting.

Strong ending but necessary to provide a strong experience to the viewers. Otherwise, this would have been a very soft movie.

The worst

There are some slow moments. I got sleepy for a while. I went to get a snack to wake myself up and enjoy the final 30-20 minutes.

Its level of scariness is overestimated. Maybe the people from its time were most sensitive when it comes to these topics.

More information: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/8740-spoorloos Review: AAA In numbers: 7/10
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›The Vanishing (film): Not your typical flick, but it was a failure@gooddream2798d
The fact that this movie has Kiefer Sutherland (when he was on top of his game,) Jeff Daniels (before he was on top of his) and Sandra Bullock (before most people knew who she was) in it, should be reason enough to watch this. The fact that it is a haunting and inventive thriller that will leave you thinking about it long after it is over is another reason.

I have to be very careful how i tell this because there are some critical elements that I must be careful to not reveal. Let's just say that this is not your typical Hollywood film and to be fair that is probably because it is a remake of a 1988 French-Dutch film.

I can tell you that Jeff (Kiefer Sutherland) is on vacation with his girlfriend Dianne( Bullock) when at a gas station she doesn't come back to the car. Jeff doesn't know what happenned to her but it turns out that Barney (Jeff Bridges) does know. He contacts Jeff 3-years after Diane's disappearance to let him know that he will tell him what happened to her, but will only tell him by having him experience exactly what happened to her.

I'm not being very fair to Nancy Travis as she is easily as much of this film as anyone else but I can't recall who she is. Perhaps that is just me. She does great in this film

I think the movie was perfectly cast but ultimately it was very poorly received by critics (imagine that) because they were very hung up on the original. I think that anyone who has seen the original will agree with them, but if you have not, this one is pretty scary on its own also.

Overall, this movie DOES in fact suffer from an inferiority complex compared to the original - however i think this is true of a vast majority of Hollywood remakes of foreign films so this should come as no surprise. However, if you have a chance to see this movie I highly suggest it because it stands on its own if you are unfamiliar with the original film which had a budget 1/14th of this one. My rating is based on this movie existing on its own, and am not attempting to compare it to the original at all - because I have not seent it.

7 / 10

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›Spoorloos (1988 Film): The question is not who kidnapped her, but why and how.@martinmcfly2834d
Spoorloos, literally translated as "Traceless" or "Without a Trace", is a 1988 thriller film directed by George Sluizer, adapted from the novella The Golden Egg (1984) by Tim Krabbé.

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Very rarely thrillers manage to generate that restlessness that this genre should have and that, once the final credits of the film appeared, it makes us twist in our seat, and that we are uncomfortable. Luckily, this film meets the requirements of the genre, and does it in the best way.

Spoorloos, known as The Vanishing, has a first act that could make us misinterpret what awaits us throughout its history by presenting a conflict seen on numerous occasions. A Dutch couple, Rex and Saskia, spend an idyllic vacation outside their country, until a kidnapper, Lemorne, kidnaps the woman making it disappear without a trace, so unleashes the subsequent search by his couple.

Yes. I have revealed the identity of the kidnapper, but it is not a spoiler, and it is here that the atypical begins, and what makes this film such a fresh and absorbing experience. In Spoorloos the great mystery will not be "who" but the "how", the reason for the motivations of the kidnapper.

With this premise, the director George Sluizer manages to get us stuck in the story thanks to the way of dosing information slowly, making us reach the answers very slowly, developing the plot with a slow progression that makes the viewer despair, in a present agony throughout the film, and that leaves us an end of those that are hard to forget.
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But that's not all, the film is alternating the point of view of the story constantly to make sense of all the questions, giving rise not only to a multiple protagonist, but also to two radically different stories with very different themes, that will end up converging in what are possibly the best moments of the film.

The film shows the story of Rex, the husband of the kidnapped, and his search over the years to make sense of events and finally clear his mind of the doubts we share with him from our position as spectators. Rex's fragments deal with the subject of obsession in a way similar to what Christopher Nolan does in his films today, with a protagonist tormented by something that will lead him down self-destructive paths while trying to end his conflicts.

On the other hand, we are presented with the story of Lemorne, building what is undoubtedly the most shocking part of the film. These fragments focus on defining the figure of the sociopath and explain not only his meticulous procedure, but also his motivations in such a logical, simple and rational way that it makes the hair stand on end. And that is where the magic of the character lies, since he is a simple man that we could find on the street, in the store, or anywhere else without noticing all the evil that he harbors inside.

In short, Spoorloos is a film that lives up to its cataloging within the thriller category. It is simple in its base and execution, with a slow and exasperating pace, but it surprises very pleasantly in its development and especially in its excellent result. A jewel very to take into account!

That was all for now, I'm sure this movie will not disappoint the viewer. It is one of those films that many people have not seen, but that undoubtedly represent one of the best films of the last four decades of this art.

See you in the future!

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Spoorloos, literally translated as "Traceless" or "Without a Trace", is a 1988 thriller film directed by George Sluizer, adapted from the novella The Golden Egg (1984) by Tim Krabbé.