VANish

What hooked me in was that they had Danny Trejo's mug on the poster (which by the way I think is one of the better indie posters I've seen in a long time). Now, I always come in with very low expectations when it comes to a Danny Trejo film as he's in every single film you can imagine so his quality control is scant. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It surprised me on how entertaining it was having only been shot entirely in a van! The director Bryan Bockbrader highlights this very well, using the tight space and passenger POV to claustrophobic effect. His performance as the sadistic half-brother to the film's protagonist played by Austin Abke is equally effective in its own right. Performances were solid overall with what may possibly be a career-turning role for Maiara Walsh as the acerbic and witty abductee of the brother's scheme to rip off her formidable, drug lord father: the one, the only, Danny Trejo. Tony Todd's brief but memorable cameo was especially exciting to see as well as new comer Adam Guthrie as the junk fiend, ex-military buddy along for the ride. Though maybe not an awards contender, VANish is a fun, fast-paced thrill ride that is sure to entertain even Trejo skeptics like me.

Greetings from Lithuania.

"VANish" (2015) is sometimes laughably bad, sometimes laughably gory, sometimes laughably stupid but most important, never good. The plot is very simple, and not really engaging. To be honest, i somehow managed to watch it till the end, till the very bad end. There was a shoot out scene at the end that has to be one of the worst shoot out scenes in the movie history - seriously, watch it closely and you will spot some very serious errors in continuity, terrible editing and even worst directing. What was the point of this whole movie?

Overall, to think that someone managed to spend a lot of money for creating this stuff and hoping to get it back kinda makes me want shake my head in disbelieve. The only think that was kinda nice in this movie actually was Bryan Bockbrader's acting. That i think was not bad performance at all, and you clearly see that this guy has some natural talent, although the material is wrong to make any real judgments. Overall, you can safely skip this flick and save some 1 h and 17 min.

"Max, hide the beers. I mean, who gives a sh*t, man. The whole van smells like pot and alcohol."

Seeing the title of this movie, it inevitably made me think of the legendary polish product, used to remove stains. I must admit that as the film progresses, and especially during the rough and gore climax in the end, they sure could use a load of this product to remove the resulting stains (blood stains that is). Eventually, the initial meaning of the movie title will be a reference to the fact that the entire film almost solely takes place in a van. "VANish" surely can be considered as a low-budget film that was made in an unreal short period. In 13 days they've made the whole thing and in a way you'll notice that.

Despite the low budget, the film still looks surprisingly fresh and professional. In terms of images anyway. The sultry and hot desert environment where everything happens, shimmers of the screen. Everything is soaked in warm colors. And although it's a simple story that was filmed in a driven way, there are some shortcomings in it. I'm a fan of low-budget movies. And after watching all these million dollar blockbusters, it's sometimes a relief to see a minimalist creation. It's the purity of such movies that intrigue me and not the dizzying special effects or the exuberant paid movie stars who appear in it. That this film won't be nominated for an Oscar is obvious of course, but usually there is still a revelation to discover in such a creative product. In "VANish" this is without a doubt the actress Maiara Walsh who plays brilliantly the part of Emma: a brave young lady who, even though she finds herself in a dire situation, continues to provoke and belittle the three kidnappers. A funny rendition that guarantees hilarious conversations now and then.

Another highlight is the brief appearance of Tony Todd, who I'll always remember as the imposing and frightening "Candyman" from the eponymous movie. A central interlude so absurd that it made me think of "Pulp Fiction" and the character of Todd as intimidating as ludicrous. I'm sure Tarantino could appreciate this fragment. Besides that, I think you can compare "VANish" with "From Dusk Till Dawn" (except that the latter with regard to the finishing touch and elaboration surely is from a different level). At first glance you might think that this is yet another Danny Trejo one-man-show. Are you a hardcore Trejo fan, then you'll be deeply disappointed, because he appears only for a few minutes (which I didn't regret). He might be a crucial part of Jack's (Austin Abke) established plan, but the final emphasis is on the interaction between the four protagonists and the hidden agenda of Jack.

The biggest disappointment was the denouement. In line with the slasher films of the 90s, this film ends in a huge bloodbath and the shown violence reaches excessive proportions. But ultimately, these violent scenes aren't really innovative and they look just as old as those of the good old days. Nevertheless you would expect them to be more realistic and credible with today's technology. It seemed as if the staff used buckets of fake blood on the set. Also, the three kidnappers Jack, Max and Shane were at one time really irritating. Admittedly, Shane (Adam Guthrie) and Max (Bryan Bock Brader, Director) weren't really sane (drugs, alcohol and PTSD are most likely the cause of this), but gradually they became more and more schizophrenic and hallucinatory insane. In contrast, Jack is an example of self-control. That's why a visit to his angry girlfriend, who broke up with him for unknown reasons, during the abduction is plain normal (for me this was a bit exaggerated).

Perhaps the biggest plus of this film is the simplicity of the story: two perfectly normal looking weirdos (a kind of "Dumb and Dumber"-types) abduct the daughter of a drug baron for ransom, the trip to the meeting is fairly chaotic, one of the kidnappers seems to have a different motivation, the denouement turns out to be quite bloody. And that's perhaps the downside of the film. A too simplistic story. Perhaps they should have extended that period of 13 days a little, to embellish the story a bit and improve the gore, bloody scenes. The movie isn't that bad, but maybe they rushed it a bit as if all hell would fall on them.

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well i am fan of Danny Trejo Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn, Dead in Tombstone, a lot more i love with his movies. reason i watched this movie i love R Rated bloody, shooting, chopping, lots of swearing, Mexican style cartels witch i really like my type of movies there was not much to say and watch again for second time because the movie didn't do much i love gore but trouble is i know Danny trejo is not main character for movie i like him as villain but i just didn't like characters and camera what they filmed looked terrible the way it's shot plot is easy made like director is out of ideas what's to write quick story OK i like quick story i have no problem with it but this movie has noting to do with Taken or Gunman films.

story follows is that girl named Emma (Maiara Walsh)was girl got kidnapped and forced to go at a road trip similar story like from dusk till dawn when George Conney taken family as hostage to go to Mexico but in this film you have 3 guys jack (Austin Abke), Max (Bryan Bockbrader), Shane (Adam Guthrie)were driving to met Carlos (Danny Trejo) was cartel was her father. in very half way of movie it's all about 3 guys and 1 girl in van driving like million miles these 3 characters were just idiots specially 3rd guy Shane when he had plan to escape Emma to find shotgun, then Max find out later about plan Shane kills him and leaves him the scene was very graphic scene i have ever saw very well made for low budget with blood with good work on it. thing is Shane turned against Emma because Shane has a blackout there was scene when Emma blows Shane head with double barrel shotgun to his head witch had very great action it and dialog when Shane said i got Axe Emma I GOT SHOTGUN BANG ! ending shooting scene was noting to it i thought another characters were boring specially jack was just jerk first of all he turned into bad guy to good guy ? come on i wish that was Danny trejo no problem with him as villain but him as good would not be that bad just way it ended like noting 4.10 noting special good gore bloody weren't that much CGI it is very low budget movie. there is Alternate Ending of movie i am not sure of on blu ray

there was a lot of gore high impact violence i love it that way it had less impact violence the movie didn't had much of action it had more of crime, thriller type of thing when you don't have much Action in movie. Danny trejo doesn't show up like almost to end of movie just shots sub machine gun at end movie went for 98 minutes long that's it i expect more then that for main role for trejo apart using him as villain i thought main actress Maiara Walsh wasn't too bad but i expect someone else Mexican actress i had no problem with actress and Danny trejo doesn't appear from ending of movie witch is just poor made for him to be in mostly for 1 hour of movie it's 3 idiots and Emma is hostage OK but eh this movie is noting special 4.10

I was immediately gripped withing seconds of watching 'VANish'. When meeting Max and Jack, you can't help but become attached to the characters, even though you speculate that maybe, they aren't the most wholesome of characters. It becomes evident upon kidnapping Emma, that they have very little experience in the matter, especially when they add the undoubtedly awkward Shane into the mix. They all travel towards their destination with what seems to be separate motives and as it all begins to unravel, you're sitting on the edge of your seat, captivated by action and delightfully demoniac violence as the plot twists further.

It's visually stunning and brought me to that same blissful state of entertainment that I would normally get from a Tarantino or Rodriguez film. It's like nothing I've seen before, the fact that it takes part almost wholly in the van adds to the thrill factor, as if you were yourself, along for the ride. It is a masterful feat that Bryan Bockbrader, wrote, directed, produced and starred in the film and that kind of dedication is few and far between. The appearances by seasoned pro's Tony Todd and Danny Trejo adds to the frenzy of excitement. The cast has wonderful chemistry and the writing is extremely intelligent and engrossing. All and all, a gripping outside of the box (while inside a van)tale unlike any kidnapping thriller you'll ever watch. It's available on DVD, Blue Ray, Video on demand and iTunes and I highly recommend checking it out.