Spoorloos (1988) : A Review

The Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, The Others, Seven, Fight Club, Identity, Saw, I have seen them all, so there is no ending out there that is going to shock me. Right? And that too from a movie of the late 80s. Well Spoorloos challenged me, crumpled my belief and threw it in the waste bin. Spoorloos not only has one of the most shocking endings in the movie history but also a satisfying one.

There are some spoilers ahead, so I must warn you that if you not seen or heard about this movie, then stop reading further and run down to your nearest DVD library or wherever you can locate this gem of a movie.

Spoorloos a.k.a. The Vanishing, directed by George Sluizer is a Dutch/French thriller based on the novel "The Golden Egg" by Tim Krabbe who has also written the screenplay for the movie. It begins with a young Dutch couple Rex and Saskia on their way to Tour De France. They halt near a gas station on the way and Saskia gets down to buy some refreshments. When Saskia doesn't return, Rex starts searching for her in vain for the next three years. The story then shifts to Raymond's perspective, who is a regular French guy with a wife and two kids and the one who has kidnapped Saskia. We are shown how Raymond prepares for the kidnap with some humorous unsuccessful attempts. After three years of Saskia's disappearance, Rex suddenly starts getting postcards from the kidnapper and he decides to launch a fresh search campaign. Raymond one day reveals himself to Rex and offers him to tell everything about Saskia provided he accompanies him to France. Rex's curiosity to know the whereabouts of Saskia makes him accept the deal and they both start for France. On the way to France, Raymond reveals more about his character and the motivation behind the kidnap.

Chloe (2009): A Review

These days, you would find a plethora of movies that start with an interesting premise and run out of juice midway. Atom Egoyan's Chloe, a remake of a French erotic thriller Nathalie,  is an addition to that list.

In the movie, David(Liam Neeson) and Catherine(Juliane Moore) are a middle aged couple who have found a perfect balance between their professional and personal life. When David fails to turn up for his surprise birthday party, Catherine goes through his messages and starts suspecting him of cheating. His flirting with the waitress the following day, further adds to her suspicion. She decides to keep a tab on him and hires an escort named Chloe(Amanda Seyfried). Chloe has to meet David in a restaurant, start a conversation with him and report back to Catherine on the developments. Chloe updates her with the stories of their meetings that are leading to a sexual relationship. Her stories start arousing Catherine and she finds herself gradually getting attracted to Chloe, leading to some complex situations.