64
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinThe movie is phenomenally well made and the three actors who fall apart on our watch suffer magnificently.
- 75Slant MagazineHenry StewartSlant MagazineHenry StewartThe Vanishing seems truly troubled by its action violence in a way that many similar thrillers aren’t.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe Vanishing manages to shock even as it fails to truly surprise, a movie that takes a worn situation and wrings fresh pain out of it as it reaches — over-reaches — to solve a mystery that is probably even more mysterious than whatever the screenwriter’s cooked up.
- 70Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMullan brings edginess and gravitas to the kind of role he’s played dozens of times. Butler, though, is a pleasant surprise, departing from his usual one-dimensional action heroes to play a dramatic part — and so well that one wonders why he doesn’t do it more often.
- 70The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisWhile Jorgen Johansson’s windswept photography creates a credible sense of isolation (he filmed in part at the Mull of Galloway lighthouse), we sense the ominous rhythms of impending calamity.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckBoasting excellent performances by screen veterans Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler, the latter delivering one of his best turns in years, The Vanishing feels familiar in most ways, including its title (the same as George Sluizer's classic Dutch thriller and its mediocre American remake). Nonetheless, the film proves highly effective with its slowly ratcheted up tension and eerie atmospherics.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawIt’s a very powerfully performed, intimate piece, perhaps inspired at some level by the classic adventure The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Mullan is very good at suggesting the careworn wisdom of someone who has to be a father figure, or even grandfather figure to men who don’t have his skill in self-control and self-denial.
- 50VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyFalling between the stools of thriller and drama, this speculative tale grows steadily less satisfying, despite a handsome look and a strong cast.
- 50RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenBut even with its all-around noble dramatic intent, particularly from Butler, the film struggles to leave a mark.