The Vanishing

The movie is phenomenally well made and the three actors who fall apart on our watch suffer magnificently.

The Vanishing seems truly troubled by its action violence in a way that many similar thrillers aren’t.

Boasting excellent performances by screen veterans Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler, the latter delivering one of his best turns in years, The Vanishing feels familiar in most ways, including its title (the same as George Sluizer's classic Dutch thriller and its mediocre American remake). Nonetheless, the film proves highly effective with its slowly ratcheted up tension and eerie atmospherics.

Mullan brings edginess and gravitas to the kind of role he’s played dozens of times. Butler, though, is a pleasant surprise, departing from his usual one-dimensional action heroes to play a dramatic part — and so well that one wonders why he doesn’t do it more often.

The Vanishing makes an unmistakable effort, but also feels like one, and fades almost fittingly from the imagination within hours of seeing it.

But even with its all-around noble dramatic intent, particularly from Butler, the film struggles to leave a mark.

Falling between the stools of thriller and drama, this speculative tale grows steadily less satisfying, despite a handsome look and a strong cast.

H ταινία Vanishing είναι για ένα συγκεκριμένο κοινό, προετοιμαστείτε για μια πολύ αργή αλλά ιδιαίτερη ταινία, που θα κάνει τους θεατές να θέλουν να την συζητήσουν, με τα ελαττώματα της να την αδικούν σε μερικά κομμάτια της, αλλά αν την σκεφτείτε "αλλιώς" κάτι έχει να προσφέρει...

Interesting if quirky direction in a 90's mystery thriller which somewhat explores the psyche of a serial killer who years later tortures the boyfriend of one of his victims. The cast is superb although the screenplay is limited. The soundtrack seems to get in the way more than it helps tell the story or feed into the tension.

The Vanishing (originally titled The Keepers) is based on the Flannan Isle disappearances in 1900, where three lighthouse keepers went missing. This movie comes up with a sordid, suspenseful tale of what happened to them. I found this to be a competently made movie, but nothing stands out. When the violent or eery stuff happens, it does stand out; a few good ideas in this. The last shot is a little haunting. There are some nice shots of the island, a place that manages to be both picturesque and foreboding. All actors are decent, including Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan, and Connor Swindells as the lighthouse keepers. On the other hand, the moments between can be weak and the exposition forced. The plot is predictable as it is a basic people-torn-apart-by-a-dark-secret-and/or-greed-story that doesn't do anything to set it apart from its predecessors, such as The Treasure of Sierra Madre and Shallow Grave. Of the three main actors, Mullan is the only one given the chance to shine. Filming was apparently on a budget and isn't lit the best. It doesn't help that this was filmed on cloudy days. There's nothing really bad or great about this. It's just okay. If you want to see Butler in something other than action films, or you're just a fan of Mullan, then you may want to check this out.

A pleasant surprise and I say it sincerely. There's nothing extraordinary but this is a quite solid and quite entertaining suspense film and maybe yes, my expectations were low at first but in all honesty, this is one of those times when I get my mouth shut.

While it was well acted, The story hits a peak fairly early (around the middle of the film) and then barely limps across the finish line by the end of it. The plot is just utter nonsense at times as it seems the characters make idiotic decisions despite talking out and knowing what the exact course they should take is.