Vanishing Act (1986)
In the Rocky Mountains, Harry Kenyon seeks out his missing wife Chris in the Winter Parade. Harry meets Lieutenant Rudameyer and tells that him he is from San Francisco and has just married Chris, from Philadelphia, in Las Vegas. They traveled to the Rockies on honeymoon and they had an argument the previous day, and Chris left their isolated cabin in her car. Harry also says that he is worried about her disappearance since she is not a good driver. Harry returns to his cabin and receives a phone call from the local priest, Father Macklin, who summons him to go to the church. Father Macklin tells says Chris is in the church waiting for him. When Harry sees Chris, he tells that she is not his wife; but the woman knows details of their lives and Harry is discredited by the evidences. Is a stranger impersonating Chris or is Harry delusional?
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Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Elliott Gould in "Vanishing Act", reminds me somewhat of his performance in the excellent "The Silent Partner". His character in both films seems to be grossly underestimated. The acting here is totally acceptable, and the Levinson - Link "Columbo" writing influence is fairly obvious. I am not sure if the intricate plot will hold up to close scrutiny, but the movie is enjoyable. The mountainous ski resort location is not taken advantage of at all, and as another reviewer has mentioned, the limited sets smack of the TV budget. All that being said, a non obvious script is the strong point here, and it will not disappoint those looking for the unexpected. - MERK
This movie begs us not to depend on appearances-the events in this film are not what they seem to be! Nor are all the people are who they say they are!! And $750.000 is at stake!!I learned a lesson from reading Agatha Christie books-and I think it applies to this movie: If you suspect the person who is least likely to be suspected then he(or she)is likely to be guilty and, take whatever appears to be the truth-believe the opposite-then you are likely to come to the truth!!!
Margot Kidder (Superman), Fred Gwynne (My Cousin Vinny), Elliot Gould (MASH), Mike Farrell (MASH), and Graham Jarvis (Journyman Project 1-3), lend their collective acting talents to this fine made for tv movie. Great effort.
Levinson and Link, the Columbo and McCloud guys threw together this modern mystery and it's too bad (that it's thrown together), because the story is quite marvelous, actually.The film suffers from limited locations and characters. The casting is TV-Movie all the way with Mike Farrell, Margot Kidder, and Eliott Gould getting the bulk of the screen time. Fred Gwynne (don't we all love Fred Gwynne?) does a nice turn in a smaller role..If you make it through the first 20 minutes of needless expanse, you'll wonder into an interesting little mystery with plenty of surprises.Well worth watching on a rainy afternoon.