The Vanishing (1993)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

George Sluizer

Writers (WGA):

Tim Krabbé (novel)
Todd Graff (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

If someone you loved mysteriously vanished how far out of your mind would you go to find them?

Plot:

The boyfriend of an abducted woman never gives up the search as the abductor looks on.

Plot Keywords:

Villain Played By Lead Actor | Kidnapping | Father Daughter Relationship | Remake | Amusement Park

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Barney Cousins
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Jeff Harriman
Nancy Travis	...	Rita Baker
Sandra Bullock	...	Diane Shaver
Park Overall	...	Lynn
Maggie Linderman	...	Denise Cousins
Lisa Eichhorn	...	Helene Cousins
George Hearn	...	Arthur Bernard
Lynn Hamilton	...	Miss Carmichael
Garrett Bennett	...	Cop at Gas Station (as Gareth Bennett)
George Catalano	...	Highway Cop
Frank Girardeau	...	Cop at Apartment
Stephen Bridgewater	...	TV Host (as Stephen Wesley Bridgewater)
Susan Barnes	...	Colleague
Rich Hawkins	...	Stan

MPAA:

Rated R for terror and violence, and for language.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:16 | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bellevue, Washington, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

With a budget set at $20 million, this US remake cost over 10 times what George Sluizer's original Dutch version had in 1988.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Diane is being attacked by Barney in his car, her keys land outside of the passenger door along with the drinks. Once Diane is unconscious, Barney shuts the door and drives off, yet he has the keys three years later to show Jeff.

Quotes:

Helene Cousins: Look, he put up a new one. I heard him on Talk Radio. Every month he puts up a new one.
Barney Cousins: Every 30 days, you could set your watch by it.
Helene Cousins: He must have loved her very much.
Barney Cousins: ...I do admire his perseverance.

Movie Connections:

References Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Soundtrack:

QUITTIN' TIME

A Horrid Mess

Skip this Hollywood version, a real piece of garbage. A cheap insult to the brilliant original "Spoorloos", or by the English title also called "The Vanishing". It completely misses the mark in typical, grotesque Hollywood fashion, usually due to a bunch of talentless, corporate bean counters who haven't the vaguest idea about anything artistic, they just look for the "successful formula" and want it applied to everything to glean a profit. Much like the awful "The Scarlet Letter" made in 1995, which twisted the original story around so much to suit the MacDonaldsland crowd, that it became an aberration, not even a bastardization, but a pile of goop that has been sort of shaped similar but does not look, feel or even remotely resemble the spirit of the original. Except that movie at least had Gary Oldman, who is interesting to watch in anything he does. This dog has nothing going for it, even the usually very talented Jeff Bridges is an embarrassment. Great tragedy is not nor never should be "the feel good movie of the year" but rather takes one or more of the sadly much too frequent tragic events in life and allows the reader/viewer to draw meaning and insight into the human condition.

Do yourself a great favor if you're looking for a rental and skip this grotesque garbage and pick up the original made in a Dutch/French collaboration in 1988. That is a great film. This is a horrific mess.