If it were not for Jodie Foster's powerful, impressive work, I would not recommend Sommersby, a film inspired by the far superior French The Return of Martin Guerre, starring Gerard Depardieu in the role that now Richard Gere adequately plays. As for George Sluizer's The Vanishing, it is especially disappointing, because very seldom does the director of a foreign picture get the chance to remake his own film. The Dutch film, which was on my Ten Best List in l989 and is now available on video, boasts a chilling ambience from the first moment to the last. Unfortunately, the American version is not as scary, and there are also regrettable changes in both narrative and characterization.
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