MOVIE REVIEW – Vanished Into the Night is unfortunately nothing more than a typical B-grade Netflix Euro-thriller, this time from the Italians with a completely implausible child abduction plot. While the film is visually stunning, with Italian villas, villages, and seaside towns as backdrops, and the actors are stunningly beautiful, the plot is paper-thin and implausible.

The Italian Netflix thriller features some well-known actors who likely have no idea why they are in such a poorly executed film. Yet, two great actors headline the cast: Riccardo Scamarcio from John Wick: Chapter 2 and Annabelle Wallis from Malignant and Peaky Blinders, directed by Renato De Maria (Robbing Mussolini). Working from a weak script by Francesca Marciano and Luca Infascelli, it’s hard to believe anyone would be happy to have their name associated with this.

Wallis plays Elena, an American psychotherapist who gave up her practice to support her husband Pietro (Scamarcio) in his dream of opening a bed and breakfast in a sunny seaside town in Italy. However, the property they invested in – mainly with Elena’s money – is a money pit. Additionally, Pietro has racked up over 250,000 euros in gambling debts.

Elena is not without faults; according to Pietro’s lawyer, she was addicted to opioids for years, making Pietro the primary caregiver for their children. It’s safe to say this marriage is beyond saving.

Trouble in the Italian Night

After a tense divorce mediation, Pietro has the kids for a week while Elena returns to the States. His son, Giovanni, wakes up from nightmares, mistaking the shadows of tree branches for monsters. Pietro sends him back to bed, where his teenage daughter, Bianca, is sleeping.

He closes the door, takes a sip of his drink, and watches a soccer match, only to discover hours later that his children are missing from their room. When Elena returns, she blames Pietro, and they receive a call from the kidnappers demanding 150,000 euros for the safe return of their children. Pietro has to turn to his old friend Nicola (Massimiliano Gallo) to help raise the money.

De Maria aimed for the audience to feel tension and excitement watching how far these characters, especially Pietro, would go to ensure their children’s safe return. The problem is that there is barely any tension because it’s obvious from the start who the villain is, and he is the only one with any real motivation.

Transparent Twists and Missing Middle

The red herrings, like the shady childhood friends and mobsters demanding their money, are just filler. The characters’ decisions are baffling, like why they don’t call the police for hours when their children go missing. This confusion persists even when another character asks why they didn’t do it, and the response is, “You told me to stay and do nothing.”

The lack of a second act is particularly problematic. There is a brief complication, but as soon as we realize who the real villain is, all tension evaporates. Pietro’s character undergoes no real tension, plot complications, conflict development, or turning point. Frankly, the entire film feels like an extended first act that doesn’t work and immediately gives away the plot because it is so painfully transparent.

When the film reaches the big reveal in Vanished Into the Night, the resolution is so straightforward and obvious that it almost insults the audience. The twist is disappointingly conventional and predictable, lacking the unsettling and bizarre elements that make the genre thrive and fans crave. Unfortunately, the story lacks the visceral impact and tension needed to create a truly memorable and gripping audience experience.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-