New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein

The movie is phenomenally well made and the three actors who fall apart on our watch suffer magnificently.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

The Vanishing manages to shock even as it fails to truly surprise, a movie that takes a worn situation and wrings fresh pain out of it as it reaches — over-reaches — to solve a mystery that is probably even more mysterious than whatever the screenwriter’s cooked up.

Slant Magazine by Henry Stewart

The Vanishing seems truly troubled by its action violence in a way that many similar thrillers aren’t.

The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck

Boasting excellent performances by screen veterans Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler, the latter delivering one of his best turns in years, The Vanishing feels familiar in most ways, including its title (the same as George Sluizer's classic Dutch thriller and its mediocre American remake). Nonetheless, the film proves highly effective with its slowly ratcheted up tension and eerie atmospherics.

The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis

While Jorgen Johansson’s windswept photography creates a credible sense of isolation (he filmed in part at the Mull of Galloway lighthouse), we sense the ominous rhythms of impending calamity.

Los Angeles Times by Noel Murray

Mullan brings edginess and gravitas to the kind of role he’s played dozens of times. Butler, though, is a pleasant surprise, departing from his usual one-dimensional action heroes to play a dramatic part — and so well that one wonders why he doesn’t do it more often.

The Telegraph by Tim Robey

The Vanishing makes an unmistakable effort, but also feels like one, and fades almost fittingly from the imagination within hours of seeing it.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

It’s a very powerfully performed, intimate piece, perhaps inspired at some level by the classic adventure The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Mullan is very good at suggesting the careworn wisdom of someone who has to be a father figure, or even grandfather figure to men who don’t have his skill in self-control and self-denial.

RogerEbert.com by Nick Allen

But even with its all-around noble dramatic intent, particularly from Butler, the film struggles to leave a mark.

Variety by Dennis Harvey

Falling between the stools of thriller and drama, this speculative tale grows steadily less satisfying, despite a handsome look and a strong cast.