The Vanishing (1993)

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

Director:

George Sluizer

Writers:

Tim Krabbé (novel), Todd Graff (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
George Catalano	...	Highway Cop
Frank Girardeau	...	Cop at Apartment
Stephen Bridgewater	...	TV Host (as Stephen Wesley Bridgewater)
Susan Barnes	...	Colleague
Rich Hawkins	...	Stan

Storyline

Barney teaches chemisty, and is planning to abduct a woman. Despite methodical planning and countless trial runs he always manages to mess things up. Then Diane, who is traveling with her boyfriend Jeff, unwittingly makes herself an easy target. The story is mainly from Jeff's viewpoint, as he searches for Diane. Barney watches him.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | obsession | missing person | buried alive | remake by original director | 

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Taglines:

Obsession is the Ultimate Weapon

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for terror and violence, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

El rapto

Filming Locations:

Mountainside Shell Station, 742 SW Mt Si Boulevard, North Bend, Washington, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,009,928, 7 February 1993

Gross USA:

$14,543,394

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,543,394

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeff Bridges uses a fake arm cast to lure women into his vehicle. Ted Bundy used the same method in real life.

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Goofs

When Barney meets his daughter at the bus/train station, the camera angle widens the bus pulls up, and extras are visible at the top of the stairs, waiting for their cue to walk down. As the scene progresses, the woman in jeans and a red sweater and her male companion are coming down the stairs as Barney and his daughter begin to walk up the stairs.

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Quotes

Cop at Apartment: How many have you had to drink?
Lynn: One... after another.

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Connections

Referenced in American Nightmare (2002)

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Soundtracks

SWEET RAIN
Written by James Michael Taylor
Performed by Texas Water
Courtesy of Old Hat Records

User Reviews

So-so

Had I not seen the original Dutch film "Spoorloos" I might have given "The Vanishing" more credit. But it's a weak remake which gives American audiences all the gore that the original lacked and a reasonably happy ending which was nowhere to be found in the original.

"The Vanishing" is the story of Jeff, whose claustrophobic girlfriend Diane goes missing from a gas station and never returns. For years, Jeff is plagued with guilt and never gives up on the search for Diane, not even after meeting Rita, with whom he begins a serious relationship. But Rita soon becomes sick of Jeff's obsession and leaves him after a bitter confrontation. It is at this point that Jeff's obsession pays off and Barney comes looking for him. Barney knows what happened to Diane, because he is the one who kidnapped her. But Barney will only tell Jeff what happened if Jeff agrees to go through everything that Diane went through without knowing in advance what that might be. Jeff agrees and disappears, and now it is Rita who is obsessed with discovering what has happened to him.

This isn't a terrible film by any means. The performances are great, particularly by Keifer Sutherland as Jeff. His portrayal of the guilt-ridden, haunted man is near perfect. There are some great moments of comedy provided by Park Overall as Rita's friend Lynn. But "The Vanishing" lacks the power of "Spoorloos" despite a harrowing scene in which Jeff learns the fate of Diane firsthand, a scene which is identical to the original. Still, I don't understand why when a foreign film is remade for American audiences, it is almost always assumed that we want more gore and a happy ending, thank you very much. Both cheapen the story in this case. "Spoorloos" was a film of terrible sorrow and grim reality, both of which will (or at least SHOULD) leave even the most hardened horror fan shaken. "The Vanishing" is slightly less effective, going in for cheap thrills and a kick-ass finale a la Hollywood.

I would recommend seeing it ONLY if you're going to watch "Spoorloos" as well.