The Vanishing
Saban Films | Release Date: January 4, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJan 8, 2019
The movie is phenomenally well made and the three actors who fall apart on our watch suffer magnificently. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 1, 2019
The 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. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineHenry StewartDec 30, 2018
The Vanishing seems truly troubled by its action violence in a way that many similar thrillers aren’t. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJan 3, 2019
Boasting 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. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayJan 3, 2019
Mullan 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. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 3, 2019
While 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. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyMar 28, 2019
The Vanishing makes an unmistakable effort, but also feels like one, and fades almost fittingly from the imagination within hours of seeing it. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 28, 2019
It’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. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNick AllenJan 4, 2019
But even with its all-around noble dramatic intent, particularly from Butler, the film struggles to leave a mark. Read full review
50
VarietyDennis HarveyJan 3, 2019
Falling between the stools of thriller and drama, this speculative tale grows steadily less satisfying, despite a handsome look and a strong cast. Read full review
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