The Disappeared

Well acted, nicely shot, and with a solid score, this is a decent feature. It's only real flaws are an extremely derivative, and occasionally confused, plot; and some slightly clumsy dialogue at times.

It looks good, without being spectacular, which entirely suits its council estate setting. Combined with excellent performances from the leads, it could almost work as a pure kitchen sink drama. Despite not being given much to say, Harry Treadaway and Greg Wise are a convincingly troubled father and son. The support is also broadly good; Tom Felton is particularly notable.

The troubles come with the exasperatingly unoriginal plot - it borrows and from a whole selection of similar films. The good news is that it does choose some of the best to steal from; the trouble that it isn't good enough to stand up to these classics. However, it holds together well, at least until the latter stages, when a few too many extraneous ingredients are thrown into the pot.

Broadly, a decent effort if not outstanding. Given the mechanics, I would be interested to see future work from the team behind it - they just need some more original ideas to start with.

I have NO bloody idea why this film is rated so damn low. I felt that the psychological elements were excellent and the story very well executed.

The interactions with his brother are quite moving and the acting is very good all around. The story is well paced building to a powerful ending, which could very well catch you by surprise. Another reviewer here mentioned that this film was derivative. I didn't see that at all; I thought the story was well conceived and capably directed. I don't normally go for films that are strongly centered on personal Drama, but this one was quite engaging, drawing you along as it gradually reveals what is truly happening.

I really cannot see how it possibly could have been done any better...

One of the better movies, that were shown at the Frightfest 2008. This one is pretty grim and might seem confusing at times, but it never loses it's focus/goal. It might have some false scares and some false leads (which may be annoying for some viewers), but it still has a great impact.

I also like the fact, that you might not exactly know where this is going. There have been similar movies in the recent past, but still a good down to earth, gritty (shot) movie, is always welcomed (imo). The actors give their bests (some might argue that it's not always convincing, but I think they're doing a pretty good job) and the direction and overall editing is good too.

Though this movie was long, it was not uneventful. Harry Treadaway offered an outstanding performance which carried the rest of the cast in this haunting drama about a family grieving over the disappearance of a family member. There were elements of the movie The Sixth Sense, in that the character Matthew Ryan frequently saw and interacted with the deceased. His accounts were dismissed as delusional, which cast a shadow of doubt over the mental stability of this character. As the story unfolds it offers a unique twist on a serial killer while throwing a few weak but effective red herrings as to who the killer was. In the end I was delighted mostly from the performance of harry Treadaway, unknown to me until now, and secondly the bleak scenery which provided a very effective backdrop.

After suffering a mental breakdown following the disappearance of his younger brother, Matt is released from the hospital and tries to get back to a sense of normalcy. However, his father blames him and Matt's own guilt continues to haunt him. Before long, visions of his brother begin to plague him as well. Is it just Matt having another breakdown, or is his brother really appearing to him?

This interesting British horror works as a sort of old school mystery by way of ghost story. The overall feel of the film is very ominous from the start. Matt, previously a happy teen, is now alienated and deeply troubled. He meets a girl who lives next door, herself a rather distant sort. Some of the ghostly encounters with the brother are typical. Other bits, like a scene with a psychic, are eerie and add to the intrigue of the picture. One major aspect of the story is easily telegraphed. Another, not so much. The climactic scenes are strong, the ending suitably somber. While the film falls back on certain clichés at times, it's still an effective slice of ghostly horror that packs a nice bit of emotional resonance.