The Vanishing

R

Released Feb 5, 1993

1 hr. 50 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

49%

37 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Barney (Jeff Bridges) is a disturbed man intent on abducting a woman. After numerous failed attempts, he manages to kidnap young Diane (Sandra Bullock), who is on vacation with her boyfriend, Jeff (Kiefer Sutherland). As time passes, Jeff remains determined to find out what happened to Diane. When Barney unexpectedly confronts Jeff, it leads to a tense life-or-death situation. Meanwhile, Jeff's current girlfriend, Rita (Nancy Travis), manages to follow him in hopes of keeping him out of harm.

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Critics Consensus

The Vanishing copies the form of its pulse-pounding predecessor but loses much of its thrilling function along the way, leaving American audiences with one more rote remake.

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Justin T

On a technical front there is nothing to really complain about or take notice of. It was a drama that was shot nicely without standing out. There was one great shot inside a coffin though. This is a remake and remains faithful to the original except altering the spoken language. The ending was too happy though considering the dark tone of the story. It is an interesting story; shame that it's a remake as the original did the job. It's quite a slow and intelligent film but that is not my style! Still I quite liked it a little. Not worth watching the original and the remake, they are basically the same so pick one and go with that.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Hellonearth

its a good, well, decent movie tbh yall tripin

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Saw this when if first came out. The original foreign version by the same director is much darker but the first 2/3 of this movie is good. They gave it a Hollywood ending. Saw Jeff Bridges in an interview about this movie where he wanted to keep the original ending but the director wanted Americans to accept this movie. Anyway, this is very creepy and the idea of being buried alive is terrifying.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

Tony B

♪ Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl... At the coopaaa Coopacabaanaaa ♬ Creepy film. Bullock has a small cringe part childishly dominating her pushover Kiefer boyfriend; it's good once she vanishes. The more engaging characters are Bridges for his kooky psychopathy and Travis for her common sense--something Kiefer lacks throughout the movie and all characters do in the final act that does not do the film justice. Would you really get in the car with a known psycho, would you drink their Kool-Aid to find out what they promise is the truth? Kiefer does, even Bridges drinks his own, under the narrative of "your obsession is my weapon," when really a sane person would fight and beat it outta them, flight, or raise the alarm for help. Travis even shows up to the fight with not only no bullets in the gun, but not even a gun in the gun box. Such stupidity was out of character and just ruined the film, however the wide majority of it is creepy, convincing, and an original plot, if a remake, and despite the purists' opinions, a better one at that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/04/23

Full Review

Green C

Great cast, good story. Love the 90s films.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/23

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john g

OK, I saw this and the original. This gets a bad rap because the ending isn't as dark as the original. Still enjoyable for a US audience, filled with young stars Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Kiefer Sutherland and Nancy Travis. There is more conflict between characters in this than the original. The original is just a relentless Dutch-French nightmare come to life. In both, there's echoes of Ted Bundy in the plot, creepy for sure. Prince Charming as serial killer. A lot of this movie is shot-for-shot like the first one, which is disconcerting. Uh-oh, I know what happens next! I though of taking away a star, but I'm going keep it at four because it kept my interest throughout. (in my head, I wrote a horror ending which I'm glad didn't happen. Think Halloween ghouls.)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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George Sluizer

Director

Jeff Bridges

Barney Cousins

Kiefer Sutherland

Jeff Harriman

Nancy Travis

Rita Baker

Sandra Bullock

Diane Shaver

Park Overall

Lynn

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

25%

54%

The Good Son

TRAILER

for The Good Son

33%

40%

Rising Sun

TRAILER

for Rising Sun

56%

44%

Final Analysis

33%

72%

Whispers in the Dark

29%

31%

Consenting Adults

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

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Variety Staff

Variety

Schematic and unconvincing.

Aug 12, 2007

Full Review

Nigel Floyd

Time Out

Misjudged, compromised Hollywood remake.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Bridges makes a memorable, superb psycho, demonstrating remorselessness, fortitude, an unnerving calm, and a faint Dutch (or simpleton) accent.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 25, 2020

Full Review

Vanessa Letts

The Spectator

American scriptwriters have run out of ideas.

Jul 24, 2018

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Until its over-the-top climax, which combines absurdity with one flash of slasher stuff, the American remake proves an intriguing variation on the first film.

May 29, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Barney (Jeff Bridges) is a disturbed man intent on abducting a woman. After numerous failed attempts, he manages to kidnap young Diane (Sandra Bullock), who is on vacation with her boyfriend, Jeff (Kiefer Sutherland). As time passes, Jeff remains determined to find out what happened to Diane. When Barney unexpectedly confronts Jeff, it leads to a tense life-or-death situation. Meanwhile, Jeff's current girlfriend, Rita (Nancy Travis), manages to follow him in hopes of keeping him out of harm.

Director: George Sluizer
Executive Producer: Pieter Jan Brugge, Lauren Weissman
Screenwriter: Todd Graff
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.4M
Sound Mix: Stereo