Starring Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo
Directed by Brad Anderson
As the city of Toronto lies in the grip of a sweltering heat wave the best way to beat it might just be to stay in and watch a movie. On your next trip to the video store why not try something that flew under the radar somewhat that only had a very limited theatrical run. It’s time to plug in Vanishing On 7thStreet.
Vanishing On 7thStreet brings us an unexplained blackout that plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, and by the time the sun rises, only a few people remain, surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night each find their way to a rundown bar, whose gasoline-powered generator and stockpile of food and drink make it the last refuge in a deserted city. With daylight beginning to disappear completely and whispering shadows surrounding the survivors, they soon discover that the enemy is the darkness itself, and only the few remaining light sources can keep them safe. As time begins to run out for them, darkness closes in and they must face the ultimate terror.
An interesting concept and take on the apocalyptic tale, as director Brad Anderson who has a great deal of experience and a pretty good track record at doing low-budget creepy with previous efforts like Session 9, The Machinist and several episodes of the television show Fringe crafts a world that plays on one of humanities greatest fears; fear of the dark. Effective yet simple creepy effects that play on that simple primal fear that in some way shape or form we have all confronted at one time or another add to the overall atmosphere. Having placed the story in Detroit, a city having its own ‘vanishing’ due to the current economic turmoil is a bit heavy handed and ultimately unnecessary, but it is a contained suspense filled ‘chiller’ that has the potential to really sink in.
Unfortunately, casting on this film was a bit of a problem. Hayden Christensen still trying to distance himself from the role of Anakin Skywalker and doesn’t quite hold the screen like filmmakers or even he thinks he can. He may be a leading man somewhere down the road, but it just doesn’t happen as he just wasn’t all that believable and needs to take a step back into some supporting roles in order to step forward into more leading man parts. Thandie Newton took a bit of a leap but was effect but is still far too beautiful too play manic and desperate and John Leguizamo was limited in what they gave him, but delivered a fine yet forgettable performance, something that could ultimately be said about the entire cast.
At the end of the day, Vanishing On 7thStreet was an interesting concept for an end of the world movie that just landed short of the mark in terms of being effective.
2 out of 5 stars.
Vanishing On 7thStreet is available at video stores across Toronto, click here for more details.
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