The Disappeared

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.

A gritty council estate drama about a missing kid, with the usual run of domestic violence, hoodie gangs, street crime, beatings, social workers and creepy adults. It's down to earth and realistic, eliciting decent performances from its mostly teenage cast; Harry Treadaway is particularly good as the boy grieving for his lost brother. Unfortunately, though, this story is very familiar (URBAN GHOST STORY is just one of the many others I remember doing the same kind of thing), and it doesn't have a great deal to differentiate it from the rest.

It's gently haunting for the most part, with the ghost story taking the form of snatched visions, unexplained domestic events and a general feeling of suspense and foreboding. The sub-plot involving a medium and her young girl was very well done, I thought, and the twist ending is undeniably powerful (if very familiar, considering all the other films ploughing the same furrow). Cast nods go to Tom Felton (Harry Potter's Malfoy) playing a refreshingly non-magical teen for once, Ros Leeming as the poignant love interest and Alex Jennings (who some may remember from Children's BBC's ALFONSO BONZO) as a kindly vicar.

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.

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.

Quite enjoyed this great Brit film. Although there are Horror elements, I did not find them to be scary or creepy enough for my high standards of Horror definition. That said, there are definitely some moments that are a bit creepy but there is so much more going on in this film than silly "BOO!" moments. A refreshing storyline that explores much more than shown simply in the trailer (missing, possible dead child), there are instances of bullying, single-parent family dynamics, the question of faith, the depravity and sadness of those in mental institutions, possible mental illness...this film has a bit of it all. You will be questioning different people and situations throughout the film which I find particularly engaging and enticing in Thrillers that we do not always get to see. Watching it a second time is recommended...sometimes we miss certain important elements. The backdrop of the film's location reminded me of industrial Manchester and the people live in the area (common amongst London or other urban suburbs). The ending was not quite what I expected, but that is neither good nor bad. I can't say much more without revealing "spoilers"...

Definitely worth watching.