Summary
It’s an average thriller that’s held up by a good twist.
It isn’t easy to talk about Vanished Into the Night without acknowledging its superb twist. I, for one, did not see it coming, and I’m glad I didn’t. I’d feel sorry for anyone who did guess it, as I assume it would ruin the movie’s makeup. However, the Italian film does have its limitations, with a B-movie approach at some junctures. But for a standard thriller fare on a work night, it works.
Directed by Renato De Maria and starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Annabelle Wallis (Grace in Peaky Blinders), the story follows a man who is feeling the stress of the divorce while also owing money to an unknown group of men. One evening, his children disappear at his country home (not good for a pending divorce settlement), and he has to embark on a dangerous mission to retrieve money to pay a ransom to save them.
You must forgive Vanished Into the Night for being a weak Italian version of Taken. This is not the action-thriller you’d expect. Riccardo Scamarcio plays Pietro, a man who is not street-smart and is out of his depth. He’s the average, down-and-out guy with suspected historic gambling problems thrown into a scenario he’s not used to.
And that’s okay because the Netflix movie feels far more authentic. Riccardo is an ordinary man who is unlikely to be able to wield a gun or fight impressively. We want to think that in these situations, our children would make us into highly athletic combat soldiers ready to save, but in reality, we’d bumble along in our average clothes, emotionally, desperately trying to find solutions.
There is no plot point that is a coincidence, and you’ll realize that before the credits roll. I suspect some audiences may think this a mediocre thriller, and they will not be wrong in that regard. The action is a little shaky, and the dialogue is hardly riveting, but the situation trumps the filmmaking. The thriller aspect overrides everything else, but it only works if you do not sniff the twist, which is an unfortunate weakness. Good movies should be able to not rely on their great twists.
You could also point to Riccardo Scamarcio’s performance as a little middling. I’m not entirely confident he’s the next poster boy for action movies, but he at least understands the emotional weight of his character. He convinces the audience that he is conflicted over his failed marriage, and there’s a space between him, his soon-to-be ex-wife, and his children. Despite his shortfalls, which are mostly implied and evident, you cannot help but root and feel sorry for him.
But breaking it down into what this is: it’s a 90-minute merry-go-round designed to keep you guessing. Vanished Into the Night has zero re-watch potential, but Renato De Maria has created a decent one-play feature.
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