Customer Reviews

The Vanishing [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'll start out by saying I have neither seen the Dutch film of which this is a remake or read the novel THE GOLDEN EGG that was the source material for both movies. From reading a little bit about the acclaimed Dutch film it sounds like the first half of the Hollywood version of THE VANISHING follows the original movie very closely but then the second half becomes more of a "by the numbers" Hollywood thriller with some action sequences and the requisite happy ending for the survivors.

I'm not giving any spoilers aways by saying Jeff Bridges plays the kidnapper, Barney, as we see him practicing how to snatch a woman in the opening scenes. Bridges looks the part of a Barney who on the surface is a likable if somewhat eccentric chemistry professor. For some reason the American Bridges plays the part with some type of European (I think) accent which is quite jarring when the script states Barney was born and raised in Seattle and at one point even shows his birth certificate. Kiefer Sutherland is quite good as Jeff whose life becomes an obsession filled mess after the disappearance of his girlfriend more because of a burning desire to find out what happened to her then pure devastation at her loss. Nancy Travis plays Rita, Jeff's new girlfriend, whom he meets "cute" by coming in exhausted from his search for the missing Diane to the all night diner where she works. Rita later displays amazing talents as a detective and strategist so apparently was way underemployed in her waitress gig. Sandra Bullock as the very pretty and sympathetic missing Diane is very adequate but does not have a lot of screen time.

The first half of the film creates Diane and Jeff as believable characters caught in a nightmare. The second half relies too much on coincidences to move the plot ahead and pop psychology as motives for the characters' actions. If you like thrillers this is an OK way to spend a couple of hours but it seems the potential promised at the film's beginning is not even close to being realize by the end.

I had seen the original before the release of this film. I think it would make an excellent case study on just how badly Hollywood can mangle real cinema. Plot is almost exactly like original except that it has a ridiculous, hoaky, happy ending that was added to the end. The other annoying change is that the eerily 'normal' family-man psycho has been substituted with an obvious greasey slime-ball 'bad guy.' If you can stand subtitles, get the original, because this is drivel in comparison.

I'll make this short and sweet. If you enjoyed "The Big Lebowski" and want to see a different but equally potent side of Jeff Bridges' acting, buy this movie. It is very suspenseful the first time around, and it is great to watch this movie over again for the comedic elements. The only shortcoming in my opinion is that the ending is too abrupt.

An awful remake of the most brilliant, frightening thriller I have ever seen. If George Sluizer was attempting to pander to "American tastes," we should all feel insulted.

I can't compare it to the original since I've never seen it so I'm sure this might not go over well with those like the original film. I love this movie for so many elements. Jeff's (Sutherland) tortured soul, the sweetness and vulnerability of Diane (Bullock), the gutsy, fiesty nature of Rita (Travis) and the downright creepiness of Barney (Bridges). I can't even look at him through most of the movie he's so eerie. This is an edge of your seat thriller from beginning to end and I'd give anything for it to be released on DVD in the US.

This is what happens to wonderful foreign films when Hollywood decides to remake them. Instead of an intelligent psychological thriller we get Nancy Travis saving her boyfriend from the creepy Jeff Bridges. Typical Hollywood editing leads to a typical ending. Skip this one and go for the original which is much better.

A queer looking, obviously eccentric scientist, with strange movements and mannerisms (Jeff Bridges) chloroforms and kidnaps a young woman while her boy friend (Kiefer Southerland) is outside waiting in the gas station, in this excellent suspense drama. Kiefer becomes obsessive. He puts up posters and requests help on TV. It is now three years later, and he has never given up looking for her. A waitress picks him up and the two are soon living together. He loves her, but cannot abandon his search. He needs to find out what happened to her.

Jeff writes Kiefer a letter saying he took his girl friend and comes to his house. Kiefer beats him up. But Jeff says that he will not tell him what happened to his girl friend unless he goes through what she went through. Driven to find her, Kiefer agrees to be drugged. His new girl friend finds out what happened. A neighbor tells her the license plate of Jeff's car. She drives off to save him.

What ever happened to the kidnapped girl? Will Kiefer's girl friend be able to save him before he experiences what she experienced? Will Kiefer be able to get over his obsession? What drove Jeff to do what he did to the girl friend and later to do what he did to Kiefer?

This is a maddening film because it starts out promisingly but quickly dissipates in the second half to typical Hollywood schlock thriller. For the first hour or so the film was reminiscent of Hitchcock's work. Superb performances were on display particularly by Nancy Travis. Oddly, the worst performance on hand is by Jeff Bridges who previously I never thought capable of bad work. He affects some implacable accent that makes you scratch your head and not think him menacing. Pacific Northwest maybe? Whatever, this flick typifies mediocrity and elicits ennui instead of genuine terror.

I love this movie. It didn't open in the theatres with a bang and a lot of people, I have found, have never heard of this film at all. It's pretty surprising since The Vanishing boasts a pretty strong cast. What I can tell you is that if you haven't seen the European version (I still haven't), this is a wonderful thriller and a must see. I have shown this movie to multiple friends and they all came away loving it. I don't understand with all the horrible and unknown movies making it to DVD these days, why a good film like this hasn't made it to DVD. I can honestly tell you that this is one of my favorite movies of all-time.

This movie starts a little slow, but builds quickly into a suspenseful thriller. Bridges does an excellent job playing a psycho and masterfully pulls off that little "thing" that just makes him creepy. Typical of an early 90s thriller, this movie is sure to entertain. If you liked "Fear" then you will like "The Vanishing" as well.