yogi-22095

I don't understand the poor reviews of The Vanishing. It's a powerful exploration of the corrosive power of greed, and how easy it is to justify your actions, no matter how base and degrading they become. In the vein of Lord of The Flies, this film builds steadily toward it's almost inevitable ending. I thought all the actors in the relatively small cast were top-notch and the sparse dialogue was in keeping with the severe landscape and gloomy weather. I guess a movie without car crashes and explosions is just too boring for some. But The Vanishing doesn't need that to grab your attention and keep it.

The story of two reluctant lovers has been told before, but this time the tale has a unique twist involving a possibly psychic connection between two people with physical limitations that put them outside the mainstream of life. There are scenes in the abattoir that may make the squeamish cringe a little, but these scenes also serve as emotional contrast to the struggles of the main characters to express themselves and connect.

Overall the screenplay is excellent and the casting and acting are superb. I found myself really caring about the outcome while also at other times laughing at the absurdity of the human condition.

This is a very well-crafted story about a shady operative who comes to have doubts about what he is doing. The acting and script are top knotch, and the pace and timing of the plot are measured enough so you can grasp all the complexity of the overlapping storylines while also keeping your attention, not to mention keeping you guessing. The only off note concerns the operation in Panama, which was an unnecessary distraction. Missing are the excessive blood and explosions which seem to be required in all "action" films these days, and that added a star to my rating. A film that does not insult your intelligence.