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Spoorloos (1988)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 6/07, 12/14

Spoor
6/07: I saw The Vanishing with Kiefer Sutherland and Sandra Bullock several times.

I thought it was an intriguing piece of work, but I didn't know until a while later that it was a remake of Spoorloos. Starting off slowly by getting everybody in place, the ball rolls faster by the time the female lead disappears. Finally, the mystery deepens with an unparalleled ending. I don't think the word obsession has been sharply defined as it does here.

Without doubt, Spoorloos is a quintessential Hitchcockian movie. One of the most remarkable qualities is the director's willingness to reveal the identity of a sociopathic killer from the get-go and show his routine while taking his time to unfold the layers of how and why he has become this sort of person.

Therefore, the pace is deliberate, and the nonlinear approach creates tension in order for the shocking climax to happen. The final realization of killer's achievement, which is akin to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, makes the film a chilling horror classic. Meanwhile, the cast is good, but it's Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu who gives a performance that many actors crave to deliver. Not many films take the time to develop the main character as well as his.

All in all, Spoorloos is superior to the remake in every aspect.

12/14: I'm downgrading my rating of Spoorloos from '10' to '8'.

There are two primary reasons: slow pace and ordinary story. Sure, the ending is clever which reminds me of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Cask of Amontillado with a bit of The Collector thrown in.

Yet I've suffered throughout by waiting for things to happen, so it has been a quagmire. At first, I was awed by Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu's performance, but I realize now he's mundane and nothing special. Sure, it's interesting to watch how his character developed his modus operandi. Now, do you know why Saskia and Rex died? It's because they were stupid to begin with.

All in all, Spoorloos holds up well, but it's a slow movie.