ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

joel-shiver Delightfully off-key. You rarely knew whether you should have been happy or whether you should have been sad at the end of nearly every scene. The story was weird, in a cool way, told at a good tempo, and engagingly acted, believable enough. The 'gore' presentations kinda echoed the contrapuntal style of the story telling. And I liked the characters. All well beyond the clichés of most box office films over even the not-too-distant past. I enjoyed watching it. (Probably No. 1 over other recent releases.) But all that is just me. You well may have a different take.

lemon_magic It was kind of cheesy of the promoters to put Danny Trejo's face so prominently on the poster for this movie when he was barely in it, but I understand the reasoning - without his name value, no one would have paid any attention to "VANish", thinking it to be just one more in an endless sausage chain of low budget mean-and-gritty thrillers. And the movie uses his limited appearance effectively - "VANish" is a better movie with him than it would have been without him.There is enough talent and craftsmanship involved here to make "VANish" intermittently interesting; it's even chewy and funny at some points, and there are a couple of genuine shocks. But the four young actors who carry the movie don't quite have the "larger than life" quality to pull off some of the outrageous lines and actions that are the movie's reason for existing. And they don't seem "hard" enough. I didn't believe for a second that the kidnappers were capable of accomplishing their stated objectives (Give them a few years to mature, and they might - all of them have obvious talent.). And the screen play doesn't quite manage to successfully pull of the shifts in tone and emotion it tries for. There's a whole lot of "whoa, where did THAT come from???" moments here that aren't really justified by anything that came before.But it's interesting that 90 - 95% of the movie takes place inside and around the confines of a van, and yet the director makes that limitation work for him. I was never bored with the setting and appreciated the way the setting managed to focus and intensify the near Pinter-esque interactions between the characters while also adding the subtext and fascination of a road trip from Hell. Props to Terry Todd for a fine reading of a very quirky character whose appearance and fate in the middle act of the screen play definitely pumped things up. Again, the movie used him well (as much as they could afford of him), and "VANish" was a better movie with him than it would have been otherwise. If you like the kind of thing that Tarantino and Rodiguez specialize in, "VANish" might have enough of it to repay your interest.

kayla-mcarthur I was immediately gripped withing seconds of watching 'VANish'. When meeting Max and Jack, you can't help but become attached to the characters, even though you speculate that maybe, they aren't the most wholesome of characters. It becomes evident upon kidnapping Emma, that they have very little experience in the matter, especially when they add the undoubtedly awkward Shane into the mix. They all travel towards their destination with what seems to be separate motives and as it all begins to unravel, you're sitting on the edge of your seat, captivated by action and delightfully demoniac violence as the plot twists further. It's visually stunning and brought me to that same blissful state of entertainment that I would normally get from a Tarantino or Rodriguez film. It's like nothing I've seen before, the fact that it takes part almost wholly in the van adds to the thrill factor, as if you were yourself, along for the ride. It is a masterful feat that Bryan Bockbrader, wrote, directed, produced and starred in the film and that kind of dedication is few and far between. The appearances by seasoned pro's Tony Todd and Danny Trejo adds to the frenzy of excitement. The cast has wonderful chemistry and the writing is extremely intelligent and engrossing. All and all, a gripping outside of the box (while inside a van)tale unlike any kidnapping thriller you'll ever watch. It's available on DVD, Blue Ray, Video on demand and iTunes and I highly recommend checking it out.

candymancarson What hooked me in was that they had Danny Trejo's mug on the poster (which by the way I think is one of the better indie posters I've seen in a long time). Now, I always come in with very low expectations when it comes to a Danny Trejo film as he's in every single film you can imagine so his quality control is scant. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It surprised me on how entertaining it was having only been shot entirely in a van! The director Bryan Bockbrader highlights this very well, using the tight space and passenger POV to claustrophobic effect. His performance as the sadistic half-brother to the film's protagonist played by Austin Abke is equally effective in its own right. Performances were solid overall with what may possibly be a career-turning role for Maiara Walsh as the acerbic and witty abductee of the brother's scheme to rip off her formidable, drug lord father: the one, the only, Danny Trejo. Tony Todd's brief but memorable cameo was especially exciting to see as well as new comer Adam Guthrie as the junk fiend, ex-military buddy along for the ride. Though maybe not an awards contender, VANish is a fun, fast-paced thrill ride that is sure to entertain even Trejo skeptics like me.