Vanish (film)

Last updated
Vanish
Vanish poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byBryan Bockbrader
Written byBryan Bockbrader
Produced byBryan Bockbrader
Starring
CinematographyColby Oliver
Edited byRuben Sebban
Music byMichael Tuller
Production
company
Grizly Films
Distributed by Dark Sky Films
Release date
  • February 24, 2015 (2015-02-24)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Vanish (stylized as VANish) is a 2015 thriller film written and directed by Bryan Bockbrader. It stars Maiara Walsh, Austin Abke, Bockbrader, and Adam Guthrie. Tony Todd and Danny Trejo appear in cameos. Walsh plays a kidnapping victim who both manipulates her captors and becomes a pawn in their individual plots. The entire film takes place from inside the van used to kidnap her character. Dark Sky Films released it to video on demand and on DVD on February 24, 2015.

Contents

Plot

While driving a van through Los Angeles, half-brothers Jack and Max argue about Jack's ex-girlfriend, Jasmine, who has called him to demand he retrieve his possessions from her place. Max says Jasmine never loved Jack and has always been obsessed with her dead boyfriend, who died in a carjacking. After arriving at a posh mansion, they don masks, pull out pistols, and kidnap Emma, who fights back. As they subdue her, Max shoots a neighbor who comes over to investigate, angering Jack, who did not want to resort to violence.

Emma, who Max knocked unconscious, wakes while a third conspirator, Shane, is unmasked. When Shane uses Max's real name, the others exasperatedly remove their masks, reasoning that their cover has been blown. They force Emma to record a ransom demand for her wealthy father. She reveals she has not spoken to her father in several years and calls her kidnappers incompetent amateurs. Afterward, she warns the men that her father will likely not pay the ransom, but when he calls them back, Jack threatens to kill Emma unless he does.

Shane, Jack's war buddy from Iraq, drives them to a motel, where they stash Emma. While they are in their rooms, Mexican cartel hit men search the van and recognize the name of the owner as a possible hit they performed, though they are not sure. Jack surprises them, kills one, and questions the other. Jack learns they tracked the kidnappers through Emma's cell phone and that Carlos, Emma's father and a major cartel boss, has no intention of paying the ransom. After executing the remaining hit man, he quickly gathers the others, and they flee the motel.

Jack explains he never intended to collect the ransom but instead suspects that Carlos killed both Emma's mother and his father, who were having an affair. As evidence, he shows a ring to Emma, who verifies that it belongs to her father. Shane, a drug addict desperate for money, protests against what he believes to be a suicide mission, but Max agrees to follow through the new plan. Before they can reach the agreed upon checkpoint, a cop stops them. Max, suspicious that the cop is on to them, murders him, causing Shane to believe that Max is an unreliable psychopath. Max also confesses to being the carjacker who killed Jasmine's previous boyfriend, as he wanted to give Jack a better chance at a relationship with Jasmine.

When they next stop, Shane, unnerved by Max's confession, secretly proposes an alliance with Emma. Emma draws Jack and Max out of the van when she says she must urinate, and Shane searches the vehicle for a weapon. Max returns just as Shane breaks a shotgun out of its lock box. Max taunts Shane and says that it takes a psychopath to recognize one; Shane agrees, and pulls the trigger. Max taunts him further when it becomes obvious Shane did not load the weapon. Enraged, Shane stabs Max to death, then explains to Jack that Max attacked him. Shane uses the empty shotgun to disarm Jack, and he drives off with Emma, who agrees that Jack's revenge plot is doomed.

After driving a short distance, Shane reveals that he has PTSD and used heroin to calm his nerves, as he was prone to fits of violence against women. As Emma becomes increasingly nervous, he grows more aggressive, eventually revealing that he is a serial rapist. As he prepares to assault her, she fights back and wounds him with a power tool left in the van. After Shane stabs her in retaliation, Jack reappears after Emma kills Shane. Emma drives to the checkpoint, where she meets with her father and explains that she has killed all the kidnappers herself. When she demands an explanation from her father, he finally admits to killing Jack's father and Emma's mother. Together, Emma and Jack, who was hiding, kill Carlos, then defeat his cartel henchmen, though Jack dies of his wounds. Bloodied and injured, Emma pushes Jack's body from the van and drives off.

Cast

Production

Bockbrader moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and began a career in commercials. After his father died suddenly, he chose to follow his dreams and make a film. At first, the film was just going to be him and his friends in the California desert; this changed when Trejo joined the cast. Bockbrader said Trejo's casting inspired him to work harder to finance the film, and a prior decision to shoot via found footage was abandoned in favor of using more expensive cameras. Walsh was cast after Bockbrader saw her on Amazon Studios' adaptation of Zombieland. Bockbrader said Walsh was eager to shed her Disney image and wanted to play a tough woman. [1] Todd was drawn to the film because he got to play a highway patrolman for the first time but also because the filmmakers and their script impressed him. For his cameo, Todd focused on giving his role a strong characterization to avoid it seeming like a throwaway cameo. [2] Todd called the van an additional character in the film, as it is always present. [3]

Shooting took 13 days. Bockbrader said the fast schedule was stressful and precluded having any fun on the set. [4] Guthrie described the film's main theme as girl power, as Walsh's character is the strongest character in the film. Guthrie said that the van used for shooting was so large that when it broke down, the first tow truck they called was unable to tow it. [5] Bockbrader said he wanted the viewers to feel as if they were a passenger in the van. [6]

Release

Dark Sky Films released Vanish on February 24, 2015. [7] Todd said that he believed in the film enough to allow the filmmakers to use his name to market the film despite only having a cameo. [8]

Reception

Amy Longsdorf of the Courier-Post called the film "a gear above most B-movies". [9] Eoin Friel of The Action Elite rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "It starts off quite strongly and is rather intense but after about 15–20 minutes it gets less interesting and has a lot of talking." [10] HorrorNews.Net described it as "an unusually solid crime thriller with horror elements thrown in". [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Shane</i> (film) 1953 film by George Stevens

Shane is a 1953 American Technicolor Western film starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur and Van Heflin. Released by Paramount Pictures, the film is noted for its landscape cinematography, editing, performances, and contributions to the genre. The picture was produced and directed by George Stevens from a screenplay by A. B. Guthrie Jr., based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Jack Schaefer. Its Oscar-winning cinematography was by Loyal Griggs.

<i>Man on Fire</i> (2004 film) 2004 action thriller film directed by Tony Scott

Man on Fire is a 2004 action thriller film directed by Tony Scott from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, and based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. The novel had previously been adapted into a feature film in 1987. In this film, Denzel Washington portrays John Creasy, a despondent, alcoholic former CIA SAC/SOG officer turned bodyguard, who goes on a revenge rampage after his charge, nine-year-old Lupita "Pita" Ramos, is abducted in Mexico City. The supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Rachel Ticotin and Mickey Rourke.

<i>Suicide Kings</i> 1997 American film

Suicide Kings is a 1997 American crime thriller black comedy film directed by Peter O'Fallon and starring Christopher Walken, Denis Leary, Sean Patrick Flanery, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto and Henry Thomas. Based on Don Stanford's short story The Hostage, the film follows the group of students who kidnap a respected Mafia figure. It has a 34% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $1.7 million in the US.

Max Cunningham UK soap opera character, created 1995

Max Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ben Sherrif from 1995 to 1997, and Matt Littler from 1997 to 2008. He first appeared on 6 November 1995, and Littler took over the role in September 1997. In 2008, Max was the second longest running character in Hollyoaks, after Tony Hutchinson. In May 2008, it was announced that Littler had decided to leave the show and would depart in July 2008.

Blair Cramer Soap opera character

Blair Cramer is a fictional character from the American daytime drama series One Life to Live. The niece of leading antagonist Dr. Dorian Cramer Lord of the Cramer family, the role was originally played by actress Mia Korf from 1991 through 1993. Blair has since become most associated with actress Kassie DePaiva, who played the role for nearly 20 years on ABC Daytime, from December 17, 1993 until the original OLTL finale episode January 13, 2012, and in several guest appearances on the last original ABC daytime serial General Hospital from March 2, 2012 through December 3, 2012.

Debbie Dingle Fictional character from Emmerdale

Debbie Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010 and the second throughout 2016 with Debbie departing on 1 January 2016. She returned on 24 January 2017 and then went on maternity leave for a third time in 2019 as Debbie left for Scotland on 13 August 2019. She returned on 25 December 2020 and made her final appearance on 11 February 2021.

<i>Vanished</i> (TV series)

Vanished is an American serial drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox. The series premiered on August 21, 2006 on Fox and its last episode aired on November 10, 2006. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the series begins with the sudden disappearance of the wife of a Georgia senator, which is quickly revealed to be part of a wider conspiracy. The family of the missing woman, a pair of FBI agents, a journalist and her lover/cameraman, are all drawn into an evolving mystery with political and religious undertones. The show was created by CSI writer Josh Berman, and executive produced by Mimi Leder, who also directed the show, and Paul Redford.

One Life to Live was an American soap opera that was broadcast on the ABC network from July 1968 to January 2012, and online from April to August 2013. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines (1968–79). The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines (1980–89). The plot in the next decade is outlined in One Life to Live storylines (1990–1999) and the story concludes in One Life to Live storylines (2000–2013).

Jack Manning (<i>One Life to Live</i>) Soap opera character

Jack Manning is a fictional character from the American soap opera One Life to Live. He is the only son of supercouple Todd Manning and Blair Cramer.

Maiara Walsh American actress and singer (born 1988)

Maiara Kylior Walsh is a Brazilian-American actress and singer. She played Ana Solis on the sixth season of the ABC show Desperate Housewives, Meena Paroom on the Disney Channel sitcom Cory in the House and Simone Sinclair on the ABC Family series Switched at Birth.

General Hospital is an American television serial drama, airing on ABC. The show was created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital in an unnamed fictional city. The series premiered on April 1, 1963. In the 1970s, the city was named Port Charles, New York.

<i>The Candy Snatchers</i> 1973 American exploitation crime film by Guerdon Trueblood

The Candy Snatchers is a 1973 American exploitation crime film directed by Guerdon Trueblood. The film was unofficially inspired by the kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle. It stars Susan Sennett as a teenager who is kidnapped and held for ransom by three amateur criminals. The picture gained cult film status and received a DVD release in 2005 through Subversive Cinema.

The Cunningham family are a fictional family in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks. The family were one of the original families introduced in 1995, debuting on the first ever episode of Hollyoaks. Subsequently, the family has seen more tragedy than happiness. Their storylines include Gordon and Angela divorcing, Dawn's affair with Jack Osborne, her leukemia, which leads to her death, Cindy's teenage pregnancy, Jude being in trouble with the police, the death of Gordon and his second wife in a car accident and the death of Max on his wedding day to Steph. In 2015 Tom became a father of his girlfriend Peri's child, and Cindy's bigamous marriage, when she was still married to Mac Nightingale, and had their son Alfie. Cindy claimed that the father was Mac but when Alfie Nightingale and his uncle Tom Cunningham do a DNA test a confusion with the samples makes Tony Hutchinson believe he is the father.

<i>The Disappearance of Alice Creed</i> 2009 film by J Blakeson

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a 2009 British neo-noir film written and directed by J Blakeson. It is about the kidnapping of a young woman by two ex-convicts. The film was shot on the Isle of Man.

Shane Morasco Soap opera character

Shane Morasco is a fictional character from the daytime soap opera, One Life to Live.

<i>Faraar</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Baljit Singh Deo

Faraar is a 2015 Indian Punjabi-language film starring Gippy Grewal and Kainaat Arora in lead roles. Gippy Grewal played a double role character in the movie. Movie was released on 28 August 2015.

"Wish You Were Here" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on December 4, 2016. In this episode, when the Evil Queen uses Aladdin to make Emma's secret wish that she wasn't the Savior a reality, Regina tries to save her, while Gold and Belle learn about the dangers awaiting Gideon.

References

  1. Whittasker, Richard (2015-02-21). "DVDanger: Vanish". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  2. Wixson, Heather (2015-02-24). "Exclusive: Tony Todd Talks Vanish & Reflects on His Candyman Legacy". Daily Dead. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  3. Smith, Jerry (2015-03-03). "Icons of Fright interview With VANish star Tony Todd!". Icons of Fright. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  4. Schmeltz, Thomas (2014-12-20). "Eastwood grad has no plans to 'VANish' from the Hollywood scene". Sentinel-Tribune. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  5. Longsdorf, Amy (2015-04-22). "Philly-area actor Adam Guthrie helped 'Vanish' appear". The Morning Call . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  6. Turek, Ryan (2014-03-26). "First Look at Maiara Walsh, Tony Todd & Danny Trejo in VANish". Shock Till You Drop . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  7. Barton, Steve (2015-02-25). "VANish – Exclusive Confrontational Clip!". Dread Central . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  8. Wilson, Staci Layne (2015-02-20). "Exclusive: Tony Todd Talks VANish". Dread Central . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  9. Longsdorf, Amy (2015-03-29). "Sondheim's 'Woods' worth walking into". Courier-Post . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  10. Friel, Eoin (2015-02-26). "Vanish (2015) Review". The Action Elite. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  11. "Film Review: VANish (2015)". HorrorNews.Net. 2015-02-18. Retrieved 2016-04-16.