New Netflix Thriller Is Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare
When a father named Pietro goes through a hotly contested divorce from his wife Elena, he discovers their two children have disappeared from their rural county home in Bari, Italy. Pietro undertakes a dangerous mission to get them back in Vanished Into the Night.
The Kidnapping
Elena is in Milan and hurries back to Bari when a man calls Pietro and says he wants 150,000 euros for the children’s safe return. Pietro doesn’t have the money. Instead, he has a 250,000 euros gambling debt that has rendered Pietro cash-poor.
Lacking the necessary funds, Pietro seeks the help of old friend Nicola, whose shady past adds an entirely new level of uncertainty to the plot and even greater danger for Pietro.
The Director And Cast
Italian director Renato De Maria provides the creative vision for Vanished Into the Night that stars Riccardo Scamarcio as Pietro La Torre and Annabelle Wallis as Elena Walgren.
The divorcing husband and wife are the parents of the missing children Giovanni and Bianca as played by Lorenzo Ferrante and Gaia Coletti, respectively. Other cast members include Massimiliano Gallo as Nicola, who is Pietro’s longtime and trusted friend.
They Took On Axel Foley
Vanished Into the Night debuted on Netflix as its most-watched movie and knocked prior No. 1 Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F from the top ranking after holding it for 10 days. The film is based on a 2013 Spanish movie entitled The 7th Floor.
Fans of Peaky Blinders, the Annabelle film franchise, or Malignant will recognize Wallis, while those who enjoyed the John Wick films and A Haunting in Venice will recognize Scamarcio.
The film is an Italian production entitled Svaniti Nella Notte in Italian. Viewers can watch the film in its original Italian language with subtitles or dubbed in English.
Its international flavor helps make Vanished Into the Night a broadly appealing film for people with multicultural backgrounds. It is, however, getting mixed reviews.
Critics Don’t Love It
While the film is the top-ranked film on the Netflix global rankings, critics aren’t giving it rave reviews. Decider says to stream it instead of skipping it because the movie is entertaining, but don’t expect to be overwhelmed.
The average critics score on Rotten Tomatoes is a fairly low 40 percent, which is double the rating given by the few viewers who have rated the film so far.
Who took the children and why in Vanished Into the Night? Does the father have a particular set of skills or know someone who does that will make it possible to get them back?
These are questions to which viewers seek answers during the 92-minute Netflix thriller.
Stream It Now
Director De Maria gives viewers a well-framed film that has a tight plot with occasional surprises and a good level of tension to maintain interest. It also is a very digestible 92 minutes, which makes it a good film to watch for those who want to see something entertaining but don’t want to invest two or three hours of their time to do so.
You can stream Vanished Into the Night on Netflix today.
