THE VANISHING (1993)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Running Length: 1:46 Rated: R (Violence, language)
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis,
Sandra Bullock, Maggie Linderman
Director: George Sluizer
Producers: Larry Brezner and Paul Schiff
Screenplay: Todd Graff
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Released by Twentieth Century Fox
Barney (Jeff Bridges) is an eccentric college professor whose unstable personality leads him to attempt kidnappings in order to resolve certain issues about his inner self that he doesn't understand. While his initial attempts at abduction are failures, he eventually succeeds with Diane (Sandra Bullock). Her disappearance drives boyfriend Jeff into an obsessive frenzy to learn her fate--did she run out on him after the argument they had shortly before she vanished, or is there another, more sinister solution to the mystery?
George Sluizer, the man at the helm for this version of THE VANISHING, was also the force behind the original 1988 Dutch film. What happened between the original and this remake is what too often occurs when Hollywood attempts to meddle with something superlative - an inferior product is born. It's surprising, and a little sad, that Sluizer not only condoned the changes made to the American story, but championed them.
The original rendering of THE VANISHING is a tense thriller, powerful and compelling. Co-written and directed by Sluizer, it shows how good a film of this sort can be when it doesn't depend upon formulas, stock situations, and pre-fabricated characters. Of course, some of the credit must go to Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu (the actor who plays the kidnapper), who manages to create a personality who is at once creepy, sympathetic, and hateful.
The remake is nothing if not disappointing. Although much of the story follows the original, it's the parts that deviate which hurt the film. While Nancy Travis is a fair actress, it's her character of Rita that singlehandedly destroys the movie's uniqueness. The sensationalization of THE VANISHING is painful to watch.
The transition of the story from Holland to Washington state is a smooth one. Whole scenes are left intact, down to the dialogue and camera angles. The performers in this THE VANISHING are every bit as good as their foreign counterparts, and the characters are equally well-realized. In the few short minutes they have on screen together, Sutherland and Bullock manage to mould the Jeff/Diane relationship into something that the audience can believe. Likewise, Jeff Bridges' Barney is as complex as the villain played by Donnadieu.
Nothing about Rita is good, except perhaps the job done by Nancy Travis in portraying her. She is a stock character introduced into the film simply to "Hollywoodize" the production. Her relationship with Jeff is contrived and unbelievable. Her powers of deduction, which would make Sherlock Holmes look stupid, are ludicrous. Unfortunately, they're also crucial to the resolution of the movie.
THE VANISHING starts out with an interesting premise, and presents a good study of two extreme characters (Bridges' deranged Barney and Sutherland's obsessed Jeff). However, what begins with promise degenerates into a typical stalker film, with an ending that is pat and predictable. Too much of what is good about the original THE VANISHING has been taken out, and the material added to replace it is sub-par. On the whole, this isn't a particularly good movie.
Rating: 6.3 (C, **)
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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