Summary
Netflix’sVanished into the Nightis rising to the top of the streaming service’s charts shortly following its premiere, and the film’s spike in popularity raises memories of aJake Gyllenhaal moviefrom 13 years ago that contains similar themes. The 2024 Italian thriller film, directed by Renato De Maria and written by Francesca Marciano and Luca Infascelli,chronicles the disappearance of a soon-to-be-divorced couple’s two young childrenwhile they were staying with their father. Shortly after they go missing, the couple receives a menacing phone call from a man demanding 150,000 euros in exchange for the kids.
Thecast ofVanished into the Nightincludes Riccardo Scamarcio as Pietro La Torre, Annabelle Wallis as Elena Walgren, Massimiliano Gallo as Nicola, Gaia Coletti as Bianca, and Lorenzo Ferrante as Giovanni.Netflix’s popular Italian movie is based on Patxi Amezcua and Alejo Flah’s Argentine-Spanish film7th Floor(Séptimo),and is, thankfully, not inspired by a true story.Vanished into the Nightis one of many crime thrillers following a kidnapping and a ransom, but its story is quite similar to a critically acclaimed movie starring Gyllenhaal.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Prisoners Is Another Crime Thriller About Families Searching For Their Missing Kids
Prisoners Was Released On July 27, 2025
Prisoners,directed by Denis Villeneuve, was released in 2013 and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective Loki, the law enforcement officer assigned to the case of two missing girls. Similar toVanished into the Night,Villeneuve’s thriller features dark themes and shocking twists all while showcasing the lengths parents will go to protect their children.Of course, the two stories aren’t identical, but if someone enjoyedVanished into the Night,they should watchPrisonersbecause of their related themes and premises.
Prisonersis available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, or Fandango.
Aside from Gyllenhaal, thecast ofPrisonersconsists of many other notable actors, including Hugh Jackman, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Terrence Howard, and Maria Bello.They all came together to make a captivatingkidnapping thriller moviethat will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the very last minutes, just likeVanished into the Night.However, the two films diverge in one significant way.
Prisoners: Why The Alternate Ending Wasn’t Right For The Film
The alternate ending for Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners would have undermined the film’s “show, don’t tell” style that defined the mystery thriller.
How Vanished Into The Night’s Reviews Compare To Prisoners
Prisoners' Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Much Better
Whereas critics gavePrisonerspositive reviews and high praise, the same cannot be said forVanished into the Night.Jake Gyllenhaal’s 2013 thriller has an 81 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes,while the 2024 Netflix film has a 40 percent score.Prisonerswas nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars and received several other awards, which is not the case for Renato de Maria’s Italian movie. Despite the negative reviews,Vanished into the Nightis still worth watching, as isPrisoners,for its suspense, high entertainment value, and shocking ending.
81%
87%
Vanished into the Night
40%
14%
Vanished Into The Night’s Kidnapper Reveal Is Way More Shocking Than Prisoners
The 2024 Netflix Film Has A Leg Up On The Jake Gyllenhaal Movie
Even though critics seemingly dislikedVanished into the Nightand highly praisedPrisoners,the 2024 Italian thriller film still does one thing significantly better than the 2013 movie did.Both features revolve around a mystery concerning parents trying to locate their missing children, and the two projects' stories lead up to a kidnapper reveal. Theending ofPrisonersis intense and surprising in its own right. However,Vanished into the Night’s conclusion is much more shocking than the Jake Gyllenhaal film’s finale. Without giving too many spoilers away,Vanished into the Nightends with a twist that not many will see coming.
When [comparingPrisoners] toVanished into the Night,the Netflix film’s finale holds up much better.
The Netflix thriller will keep audiences wondering what is happening until the very end, and the final scene will leave them questioning everything that they thought they knew about the story and kidnapping. So, even if the 2024movieVanished into the Nighthas not received as good reviews asPrisoners,its ending is worth the watch. Butthat is not to say that Denis Villeneuve’sPrisonersdoes not contain any twists and turns because it does.However, when compared toVanished into the Night,the Netflix film’s finale holds up much better.
Why Jake Gyllenhaal Twitches In Prisoners
Detective Loki’s twitching is one of the most iconic parts of Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in Prisoners, and the actor has explained why he does it.
Prisoners Features One Of The Most Haunting Scenes Of Hugh Jackman’s Career
The Scene Between Hugh Jackman & Paul Dano Is Unforgettable
Vanished into the Nighthas a killer ending, butPrisonerscontains one of the best scenes of Hugh Jackman’s acting career to date.Jackman stars as Keller Dover,the father of one of the girls who goes missing on one fateful Thanksgiving night. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki arrests a suspect — Alex Jones, played by Paul Dano — but determines that Alex could not have kidnapped the young girls due to his low IQ and lack of evidence. Nevertheless, Jackman’s Keller is convinced that Alex took his daughter and is determined to prove his guilt.
Hugh Jackman was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 2013 for his performance as Jean Valjean inLes Misérablesbut lost to Daniel Day-Lewis, who won for his role as Abraham Lincoln inLincoln.
When Alex is released from police custody, Keller kidnaps him. He interrogates and tortures him, trying to make him confess. In one scene, Keller and the father of the other missing girl, Franklin Birch (played by Terrence Howard), hold Alex up and Jackman’s character threatens him with a hammer. It’s a haunting scene that will stick with viewers long after finishing the film. Consequently,the 2013 thrillermoviePrisonersis one of Jackman’s most underrated roles,and the actor should receive more praise for his performance as a tormented and vengeful father.
Vanished Into the Night
Cast
Elena, an American psychiatrist, moves to Italy for love but faces heartbreak and custody battles. When their children vanish while with their father, Pietro, they receive a ransom demand. Desperation drives them to race against time to save their kids, navigating tension and old wounds along the way.
