Review of The Vanishing (2019) by Davrosdaleks1 — 13 Apr 2019

The Vanishing (originally titled The Keepers) is based on the Flannan Isle disappearances in 1900, where three lighthouse keepers went missing. This movie comes up with a sordid, suspenseful tale of what happened to them. I found this to be a competently made movie, but nothing stands out.

When the violent or eery stuff happens, it does stand out; a few good ideas in this. The last shot is a little haunting. There are some nice shots of the island, a place that manages to be both picturesque and foreboding. All actors are decent, including Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan, and Connor Swindells as the lighthouse keepers.

On the other hand, the moments between can be weak and the exposition forced. The plot is predictable as it is a basic people-torn-apart-by-a-dark-secret-and/or-greed-story that doesn't do anything to set it apart from its predecessors, such as The Treasure of Sierra Madre and Shallow Grave. Of the three main actors, Mullan is the only one given the chance to shine. Filming was apparently on a budget and isn't lit the best. It doesn't help that this was filmed on cloudy days.

There's nothing really bad or great about this. It's just okay. If you want to see Butler in something other than action films, or you're just a fan of Mullan, then you may want to check this out.