If someone you loved disappeared, how long would you search for that person? A few months, a year? Several years? At what point would you finally stop looking? That's the creepy question at the heart of The Vanishing, and although the film is in some ways a fairly conventional thriller, that underlying question gives it an uneasy undertone. It's all too easy to put yourself in the shoes of Jeff (Kiefer Sutherland), whose girlfriend Diane (Sandra Bullock) vanishes without a trace at a highway service station. When does dedication shade into obsession, and when does determination to find the truth become a self-destructive force?

In an interesting twist, we know the identity of the psychopath responsible for Diane's disappearance right from the start: it's a slightly odd but still innocuous-seeming professor and family man named Barney (Jeff Bridges). However, that's the only piece of information that we have that the protagonist, Jeff, lacks: like him, we don't actually know what happened to Diane.

The story, then, revolves around two threads. One is finding out what really happened on that fateful day when Diane disappeared; the other is discovering just how far Jeff will go to uncover the truth. Sutherland does a nice job with his role here, providing a convincing portrayal of a man who is unable to make peace with the past... not because of a sense of loss, or guilt, but because of the maddening feeling that he doesn't actually know what became of Diane. Is she alive or dead? Was she taken from him, or does she not want to be found? Sutherland's performance makes the later section of the film, which could have been implausible, work quite well; we see that he's not exaggerating when he says that he'll do anything at all if only he can finally know the truth.

The other excellent performance here is by Jeff Bridges, who continues to impress me as an actor. He can take on roles as disparate as "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski and a chilling psychopath here, and make each of them into a completely believable and distinct character.

The Vanishing packs the greatest punch in its first half, with a very engaging beginning that will hook viewers quite solidly into the storyline. The second half of the film is perhaps a bit softer, but given that The Vanishing is briskly paced (with a running time of 109 minutes) there's fortunately little opportunity for the film to sag, and viewers will walk away from the film feeling satisfied, if perhaps a little uneasy about letting their loved ones out of their sight...

Incidentally, this is director George Sluizer's second rendition of the material: he also directed an earlier (1988) Dutch version of the film, which handles the conclusion somewhat differently. Viewers who enjoy the 1993 film may find it interesting to check out the first film as well.

The DVD

Video

The anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer offers a very nice viewing experience. The image is clean and natural-looking, with attractive colors and well-handled contrast. The DVD is a flipper, with this widescreen version on Side B; Side A is wasted with a pan-and-scan version of the film.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is quite satisfactory, with dialogue sounding clear and natural throughout the film. Dubbed French and Spanish Dolby 2.0 tracks are also included.

Extras

The only special feature is a trailer for the film.

Final thoughts

The Vanishing is an engaging thriller with a creepy premise and excellent performances from Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges in the two main roles. While this DVD release is bare-bones in terms of special features, the anamorphic widescreen transfer with 5.1 sound is quite respectable. I'll give this a solid "recommended."