I don't know how many years it's been since I saw George Sluizer's Spoorloos aka The Vanishing (1988). It must have been one of the earliest foreign films I ever saw, and one thing is certain: I never forgot how it ended. I always heard about a remake existing but never saw it until just a couple of weeks ago. Oddly enough, it's by the same director this time around, but this 1993 version had a different writer, and it shows.

This version begins like the original, but stars Kiefer Sutherland as Jeff, a guy whose girlfriend (Sandra Bullock) disappears when she goes into a gas station convenience store to buy a couple of drinks. She basically vanishes from all traces of existence, and Jeff searches diligently for her for a few years. Eventually he meets a new girl (Nancy Travis) named Rita, and she doesn't have room in her life for his obsessive search, but of course, she's pulled into the plot just as deeply as he is. Jeff Bridges plays the villain.

I like how the early parts of the movie play out. The progression of events is well edited, and one can follow the mood perfectly. I would say that as far as this version followed the original's plot, it was actually pretty good. Then things start to deviate with the introduction of Rita, and as the villain takes initiative and Rita is involved, the story becomes less and less interesting or tense.

Bridges, whom I normally like, is a bit too cooky to seem frightening in this rendition of the story. I noticed the message boards thought he just has a small speech impediment, but beyond that, the man has some sort of weird accent that made me laugh more than feeling creeped out. Instead of thinking he was a methodical, cold killer (like I felt about the original movie), I thought, "That zany Jeff Bridges! He sure is silly."

By the time we reach the film's end, the presence of a new (American) writer is quite obvious. The shock and effect of Spoorloos' ending is completely lost on this Hollywood remake. The final scene of relief in this version made me roll my eyes and wish I hadn't watched it after all.

The Vanishing is definitely a disappointment, and I would suggest that people who haven't seen either of the two to should try Spoorloos. Though my memories of the original are vague with age, enough of them are sharp enough for me to recommend it over its remake.