The Vanishing Pt. I

If I watched the Hollywood remake of The Vanishing without seeing the Dutch original first, I probably would have thought it was an okay film. There was a lot of interesting imagery, concepts, and production. However, viewing it in the context which we did, I am forced to say that the original is a much more successful film. The character's are more fleshed out, they give you more reason to relate to them. In the Hollywood version, it seems that everything is just spelled out for the viewer, leaving little to the imagination. The original however is much more innovative, as often what is not said is just as important as what is.
One of the very first things one will notice about the two films is that the opening is changed. In the original, the movie opens with Rex and Saskia driving, with ominous 80's music playing in the background. It is not until Saskia has already been taken that we begin to focus on Raymond, her abductor. In the Hollywood version, it opens onto Raymond practicing his abduction scheme, and continues to show all the creepy weird stuff he does. To me, this kills the suspense. We already know that something bad is going to happen to Sandra Bullock. When I first watched the original, I only knew that the plot involved a serial killer, but based on Rex's strange behavior leaving Saskia inside the tunnel, I thought it may be him. To open onto the killer diminishes the suspense that builds from observing the actions and wondering what he will do. We already know what he plans to do.
When Kiefer Sutherland and Sandra Bullock's characters are at the gas station they have the same "never abandon me again" conversation as is in the original, but none of the playful banter and flirtation between the two characters that we see in the original. Maybe the director thought that because these are two big movie stars and not relatively unknown European actors that he could get away with not having as much exposition between the two characters, as the audience would already feel familiar with them. For me however, I feel disconnected from the characters in the American version. I never really understand Kiefer Sutherland's obsession as much as I can understand Rex's. Rex and Saskia feel like a real couple, because we are allowed to observe them as such.