Secuestrada

Others have said it already, but since there still seem to be some people who think this remake is worth watching, I feel the need to reiterate: skip this movie and watch the original. Both films were made by the same director. The major difference between the two is an ending on the Dutch film that will chill you to the bone, versus the predictable Hollywood version of the story.

This film is Underrated the acting is top notch a fantastic cast and a excellent story. It keeps you entertained and engaged through the whole film. No down time and it builds to a excellent ending. Jeff bridges acting is so diverse hes the ultimate hero yet a very disturbing villian. If you enjoy thrillers the 1990s provided some of the best!! Watch and enjoy!! Also watch breakdown, and search 1990s thrillers and watch them all.

Though I found The Vanishing a really interesting movie, I recommend checking out the original, the 1988 Dutch film Spoorloos. It's far creepier than the "Americanized" version. I was never a big fan of foreign films before Spoorloos, but that movie introduced me to a whole new aisle at the video store.

This film is way inferior to the Dutch original (the fact that the same director directed both is another story). This movie has obviously been toned down for American audiences, which is insulting if you've seen them both (I stumbled onto the remake on cable late at night). The original is a thriller in the truest sense of the word, and is far more intelligent, disturbing, and scary than the Hollywood version. I bet the producers assumed American audiences couldn't handle disturbing well so they gave us a more friendly version, very insulting. If you're going to see this version, make sure you rent the original too and watch it first, just to see how much the remake pales in comparison. If you don't like psychological, disturbing, riveting, and no-downbeat-endings in your thrillers, the 1993 version is for you. But if you want to be truly blown away, the Dutch original is very highly recommended over this one.

In 1993, Director George Sluizer got to give his Dutch horror/thriller Spoorloos (1988) the big budget Hollywood remake treatment, which meant that the script had to be heavily altered to suit, most notably the original film's downbeat ending being replaced by a new, more upbeat finalé. Sluizer's revamped thriller is slickly made with a great cast, and undemanding mainstream audiences will probably have a good time with it, but if you prefer your films to have a bit more of an edge, there's a good chance that The Vanishing's very American approach, with its predictable and far less shocking outcome, will leave you unimpressed.

Kiefer Sutherland plays writer Jeff Harriman, who puts his life on hold in order to try and find his girlfriend Diane (Sandra Bullock), who went missing during a stop at a service station. After three years of looking for Diane with no success, Jeff meets waitress Rita Baker (Nancy Travis) and romance blossoms. Jeff agrees to give up his search, but then he receives a message from a man named Barney (Jeff Bridges), who says that he is the one who abducted Diane, and if Jeff wants to find out what happened to his girlfriend, he must comply with his demands...

Bridges is a strange choice for Barney, the actor better known as a dashing leading man than for playing a psycho (with a bad haircut), and it takes a while to accept him in the role, but he eventually makes good; Sutherland, on the other hand, is perfect as the everyman thrown into a personal hell, his obsession driving him to take great risks, and Travis makes for a likeable heroine. Bullock is fine as the tragic Diane, but she isn't given a lot to do. Sluizer handles the action well enough, but the new 'happy' ending does take a bit of swallowing, and ultimately lacks the impact of the original movie. The Vanishing's finalé sees Rita tracking down Barney, using her guile to outwit the nutjob and save her man. It's formulaic stuff designed to appease the masses - nothing wrong with that, and I enjoyed it for what it was - but watch Spoorloos and see which one stays in the mind the longest.