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The Vanishing

  • 2018
  • R
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Gerard Butler and Peter Mullan in The Vanishing (2018)
Set on an uninhabited island 20 miles from the rugged Scottish coast, 'The Vanishing' tells the story of three lighthouse keepers (Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan, Connor Swindells) who stumble on something that isn't theirs to keep. What follows is an isolation and paranoia-fed battle for survival as the men venture down a path of destruction.
Play trailer2:28
4 Videos
89 Photos
DramaMysteryThriller

Three lighthouse keepers on the remote Flannan Isles obtain a mysterious trunk, leading to their mysterious disappearance.Three lighthouse keepers on the remote Flannan Isles obtain a mysterious trunk, leading to their mysterious disappearance.Three lighthouse keepers on the remote Flannan Isles obtain a mysterious trunk, leading to their mysterious disappearance.

  • Director
    • Kristoffer Nyholm
  • Writers
    • Celyn Jones
    • Joe Bone
  • Stars
    • Peter Mullan
    • Gerard Butler
    • Emma King
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kristoffer Nyholm
    • Writers
      • Celyn Jones
      • Joe Bone
    • Stars
      • Peter Mullan
      • Gerard Butler
      • Emma King
    • 229User reviews
    • 77Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos4

    Official UK Trailer
    Trailer 2:28
    Official UK Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:34
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:34
    Official Trailer
    The Vanishing
    Trailer 2:35
    The Vanishing
    The Vanishing: James Screams
    Clip 1:26
    The Vanishing: James Screams

    Photos88

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    Top cast12

    Edit
    Peter Mullan
    Peter Mullan
    • Thomas
    Gerard Butler
    Gerard Butler
    • James
    Emma King
    Emma King
    • Mary
    Gary Lewis
    Gary Lewis
    • Kenny
    Connor Swindells
    Connor Swindells
    • Donald
    Ken Drury
    • Duncan
    Gary Kane
    • Gherd
    Søren Malling
    Søren Malling
    • Locke
    Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
    Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
    • Boor
    Roderick Gilkison
    Roderick Gilkison
    • Galley Hand
    Gary Mclellan
    • Bones (extra)
    John Taylor
    • Fisherman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Kristoffer Nyholm
    • Writers
      • Celyn Jones
      • Joe Bone
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews229

    5.921.8K
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    Featured reviews

    6voyou-703-655350

    Good old-fashion storytelling

    I watched The Vanishing because:
    • It's a period piece
    • I love lighthouses
    • Scotland is gorgeous
    • Lighthouses are even better on an island.
    I got all of these, of course, in a classic tale that owes to authors such as Stevenson or Leroux. A pretty good story indeed.

    Great cast. Including a very credible Scotsman played by that Greek actor, the one from Sparta.
    6carlos512

    A Greek Tragedy on Film about Lighthouse Keepers vanished in 1900

    The movie is a tragedy, an imaginary tale of what could have happened to the real "keepers" who indeed vanished back in mid december of 1900, and never heard of again.

    The truth is that nobody knows for sure what was the fate of the real three men at the Flannan Isle, and anybody's guess is as good.

    Theories abound about what really happened, from alien abduction to a giant wave, and anything in between.

    Was it a terrible natural accident, such as the three men falling down a cliff or down inside a cave? Or something more sinister as the men kill each other?

    Your guess is as good as mine.

    In the real diary entry logged by the real keepers, they write about a terrible weather "as the one they have never seen in 20 years at sea."

    That particular entry in the book is extraordinary, having in consideration that weather reports at the time indicated that weather was fine and calmed and the first rain can in on december 17, 1900. That is baffling to say the least.

    Will we ever know what happened to those 3 scotish men, thomas, donald and james? sadly, most probably not, which is so sad, especially because they had wives and children.

    About the movie itself, i'd say its pretty good. i give it a 6.

    acting is excellent from the three main actors, as well as from the supporting characters. all did a good work, and the director set the grim tone right from the beginning.

    the drama unfold with camera close to the faces of the actors to emphasis the tragedy going on, no images from the beauty of the ocean and a blue scotish sky don't expect to see that.

    all is sad from the very beginning and the only laughs occurred when donald and james found gold in the chest. other than that, all is grey.

    i'd recommend the movie to anyone who likes thrillers and tragedies on film. no special effects just plain good old fashioned acting (good actually) and an ending kind of predictable, still enjoyable (again if you like tragedies).
    8mformoviesandmore

    A man's movie, tense and thoughtful

    What a breath of fresh air. I don't mean the literal air on these desolate island but a movie without an intrusive soundtrack or where the producers have made sure every scene is fully explained to a dumb audience.

    A stark production from a director moving up from TV for the first time and showing talent in the way that Spielberg did with Duel.

    Strong acting from a small bunch of blokes in a claustrophobic environment.
    9ddehond548

    Can't believe the rating

    Thought this movie was brilliant. Very well acted. It shows how life can change in the blink of an eye, and how one decision can flip your whole world upside-down and change everything, especially yourself.
    6kosmasp

    Close to the chest

    From the premise I almost thought this was similar to "The Lighthouse" with Pattinson and Dafoe. But this is nothing like that. While this is quite somber (for a movie with Butler in it), it is not nearly as intense or good as that. Still the movie is at least decent, with nice play between the 3 main characters. With some added flavor of others thrown in.

    Being on an island can do things to your mind. When an outside "force" comes it adds a new ingredient to the mix. This is not always a good thing. And nothing comes for free either ... even if you don't know or haven't read up on the story, once you open something, you know you'll have to live with the consequences. Whatever those may be

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Four different lighthouses were used to create what is seen in the movie as a singular location: Mull of Galloway lighthouse was used for exterior and interior cottages, lighthouse, lighthouse garden and the headland of the island. Killantrigan lighthouse was used for its interior staircase and side garden. Corsewall lighthouse was used for a single interior shot and to create the cliff for many of the cliff scenes. Cloch lighthouse was used for the interior lightroom as it is no longer operational, yet beautifully preserved.
    • Goofs
      At the time of the mysterious disappearance the lighthouse was not equipped with radio, in fact radio-telephone technology was not available in 1900 at all.

      Radio had been invented and demonstrated just a few years earlier, however, commercial radios were not available at this time.
    • Quotes

      Donald: What does this do, then?

      James: It's a foghorn.

      Donald: When do we use it?

      James: When it's foggy.

    • Connections
      Featured in Decoding the Unknown: The Flannan Isles Mystery (2022)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Vanishing?Powered by Alexa
    • supposedly ''On Demand'' tomorrow, but where? what service or system, no one with the production will say?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 4, 2019 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official Site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Norwegian
    • Also known as
      • El misterio del faro
    • Filming locations
      • Killantringan Lighthouse, Portpatrick, UK(location)
    • Production companies
      • Mad As Birds
      • Cross Creek Pictures
      • G-BASE
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,202,522
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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