Tits and tires, gonna cost you!
Swift shot: There are films that flatter returning war veterans, VANish is not one of them. Despite that fact, I enjoyed the ride. Yes, I will try (and fail miserably) to avoid obvious allusions to road trip flicks, but what you get with VANish is what initially appears to be a Bang Bus horror/parody that rapidly develops into a more complex, satisfyingly violent thriller. Director/Writer/Actor Bryan Bockbrader uses clever dialog to keep the audience focused and invested in the characters. While the suspense is effective, VANish is really a character driven film that shifts your sympathies for each passenger on the trip.
Jack (Austin Abke) is a war veteran who has hatched a fairly straight-forward plan to kidnap psychology grad student, Emma (Maiara Walsh) and hold her for ransom. Thing is, it’s a really bad idea, as Emma’s father is not someone that many people would dare to piss off. Jack’s mostly inept, chaotic “crew” of kidnappers leads to a terrific bloody mess. Jack is clever, but he’s a bit out of his league. A leader is only as good as his men, and Jack’s men . . . suck.
His war buddy, the strung-out junkie, Shane (Adam Guthrie) has agreed to help Jack out, and help himself to a portion of the ransom money, of course. Jack’s “brother” Max, is also along for the ride to hell. Bryan Bockbrader is kinda like the Poor Man’s James Bond’s version of Peter Sarsgaard, sans the pretentious bullshit. His character, Max though, is a total dick!!! But, even he has a quirk I couldn’t help but laugh with.
As the ride gets more bumpy, shit develops between each character. The dialog never gets stale. The film builds up suspense and eventually dark humor, as the crew of fuckups becomes more aware of just how fucked they truly are! A few fun cameo turns for horror and action geeks will put a smile on your face, and they do a solid job with their limited screen time. You’ll recognize their names immediately.
The creep in me was a little disappointed this film didn’t go full throttle exploitation, and instead down-shifted into a more modern, sexist-safe neutral where an authentic grind house flick would have dared to bare. I guess it’s a sign of the times that flesh is only out there if it’s a “floppy wiener” or a Euro-trash film that only art-house dweebs appreciate.
VANish is a gutsy, gory mess, that will leave you covered in blood and rooting for the bad guys!
