I can relate to this film as the same thing happened to my daughters (and wife) in Turkey. This drama was very gripping but was totally let down by the ending where she just 'appears' in the street playing with children. Why could they not have a more believable ending. I found my family after 3 months through the address of the car they stole from us that they registered to themselves. Surely they could have done something similar, or done some research into the Genel Evs , or prostitution houses to see how entrapment could be for life or until a fictitious debt is paid back. also some statistics would have been good. The British consulate of the small town I lived in told me they deal with 50 kidnaps a year. I rate the drama a 5 for good effort but disappointing ending.
9 Reviews
DISAPPEARED (TV) (Adrian Shergold, 2004) **1/2
Bunuel19763 March 2008
I was told about this film whose original name is SHE'S GONE by the owner of my local DVD rental outlet since it had been partly shot in Malta. From the title(s), it seemed like a typical 'search for a missing person' thriller but another point of interest was that it starred stalwart Brit actor Ray Winstone, who gives his typically committed performance.
Even so, I was surprised to find the film not only tolerable but reasonably compelling throughout; incidentally, since the hero's daughter (the missing party) turns out to have been 'operating' in seedy environments and was involved with shady and/or sinister-looking characters (not to mention Winstone's own inherently gruff nature), the narrative can be seen to have similarities with (albeit no match for) the likes of GET CARTER (1971) and HARDCORE (1978). His investigation eventually leads him to high-ranking officials who are chummy with aging perverts involved in human trafficking, a prostitute who impersonates the girl so as to misdirect Winstone into thinking his daughter has returned home, the realization that the teenager herself was a lesbian and that she may have left home knowing he would never have accepted her like this, etc.
As it happens, the Maltese locales are supposed to mirror an Istanbul setting but they're quite effectively used, lending the whole the appropriate exotic look. However, the ending to the entire mystery results in being both abrupt and, frankly, quite lame!
Even so, I was surprised to find the film not only tolerable but reasonably compelling throughout; incidentally, since the hero's daughter (the missing party) turns out to have been 'operating' in seedy environments and was involved with shady and/or sinister-looking characters (not to mention Winstone's own inherently gruff nature), the narrative can be seen to have similarities with (albeit no match for) the likes of GET CARTER (1971) and HARDCORE (1978). His investigation eventually leads him to high-ranking officials who are chummy with aging perverts involved in human trafficking, a prostitute who impersonates the girl so as to misdirect Winstone into thinking his daughter has returned home, the realization that the teenager herself was a lesbian and that she may have left home knowing he would never have accepted her like this, etc.
As it happens, the Maltese locales are supposed to mirror an Istanbul setting but they're quite effectively used, lending the whole the appropriate exotic look. However, the ending to the entire mystery results in being both abrupt and, frankly, quite lame!
Thank god for a Ray of sunshine here
PeterMitchell-506-56436418 March 2013
Here we go, one more time. Daughter goes to a foreign country, supposedly to do aid work. Father doesn't hear from her. He sets out to find her. It's great though that we have Winstone here, one of my favorite actors. He plays Harry Sands, who goes to Istanbul to track down his missing loved one, who went off with her girlfriend. What he discovers, is a shocking revelation for any parent. The daughter was working as a stripper at a seedy Istanbul revue, some dozes of titty and flesh. Only now she's not working there anymore, and suspicion fall on the son and father who owns the club. Some scenes has Winstone losing it, and we always know they're watchable as he's so believable at dramatics that are not overdone. Soon he becomes obsessed, knocking on other doors, one where a drugged out girl, is kept as a sex slave in a Turkish Bathhouse, who but the that club owner Father and his goons showing up. Thankfully, She's Gone has a happy ending, but the whole film's not enough as we've seen so many of it's type before. It's hardly even suspenseful. The nudity and Winstone are the only two reasons for watching this. Not without mention, but this is one of Ray's lesser known films, that falls pretty weak.
How this film compares to Liam Neeson's TAKEN
charlytully18 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Ray Winstone works in a photo-developing lab. Liam Neeson is ex-special ops. Ray Winstone's missing daughter is a lesbian stripper. Liam Neeson's missing daughter is a gullible virgin. Ray Winstone briefly waves a gun around. Liam Neeson shoots about 107 people dead. Ray Winstone takes a taxi. Liam Neeson steals a car to evade dozens of vehicles bristling with firing machine guns. Ray Winstone sidetracks the honest local cops from preventing terror attacks. Liam Neeson shoots the wife of the local crooked cop in the knee to get important info. Ray Winstone glares at a Muslim muckety-muck. Liam Neeson sticks a knife in a Muslim muckety-muck's ribs. Ray Winstone rescues his daughter after she's retired from stripping. Liam Neeson rescues his daughter before she's retired from being a virgin.
Ray Ray to the rescue, in not the most memorable of dramas
videorama-759-85939113 May 2014
She's gone is a sort of Taken film, where again, a over caring father's search for his missing daughter has him going through a maze of contacts, while not really being able to get a handle on the situation. And it's great to watch Winstone kicks arse. This movie, though I did like it's setting in Istanbul, with it's hidden topless bars whatever, didn't really impress me. I thought it was a little weak, reason being I've seen all of this many, times before, but more so, I'd say recently. There's nothing new here. We find out the daughter was unhappy, turned to stripping, and corrupt and wealthy men got their paws on her, and we're only wondering about her fate, where at least the resolution, was a happy one, which I never expected, but still kind of weakened it, considering the cliché'd path we've taken. I did like the nude belly dancing, and the scene with the pro, kept under lock and key by the Istanbul mafia. She's Gone isn't a Winstone film that's s gonna be remembered, but if you're a Winstone fan, and you like some nudity, these are really the only reasons, to see it.
Felt like I was being trolled
texxas-115 October 2018
I love watching Ray Winstone, but let's face it, being a producer is not his strong point. I felt that the the missing daughter didn't actually exist and was just a cover plot, the real plot being that you're watching Ray Winstone. That's nice, but even if you're a fan you still need a bit of a story to go on.
Lindsey Coulson (Carol from Eastenders) was a bad choice to play the wife, she's so annoying and it's unbelievable that he'd be with someone like her. They would have been better off casting some unknown middle aged bimbo.
You can tell that the writers have obviously had no experience with Kurdish people, because if they did they wouldn't be painting them out to be such lovely, simple villagers.
Lindsey Coulson (Carol from Eastenders) was a bad choice to play the wife, she's so annoying and it's unbelievable that he'd be with someone like her. They would have been better off casting some unknown middle aged bimbo.
You can tell that the writers have obviously had no experience with Kurdish people, because if they did they wouldn't be painting them out to be such lovely, simple villagers.
Awful
Bob_the_Hobo26 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is not a good movie. Almost immediately you had to assume a lot of parts, like how the daughter wasn't in Turkey for charity events. Well, the film never tells you that she's there for charity, you had to think that up for yourself. But okay, nothing's perfect right?
Ol' Ray Winstone sloshes through this slow script at a snails pace. He's never very interesting or engaging, like Liam Neeson's character from Taken, or Denzel Washington's from Man On Fire. He's boring. I was really mad when at the beginning (spoiler here) Ray asks "Why didn't she have her phone?" This was never answered, which was confusing and irritating.
The biggest problem with this movie is that I never cared about the girl who was missing. Unlike Taken, we never meet the daughter, so I honestly didn't care what happened to her character.
Maybe they were just to tired to film a decent ending, because (spoiler) when Ray finally sees his daughter again it's under ridiculous, perhaps stupid circumstances. The end is a big slap in the face, throughout the film you're thinking; "Was it the girl's lover who did something? The strip club owner?" But it doesn't answer any of these questions, hence wasting an hour or so of your time.
If you absolutely have to see this, watch the first scene and the last scene, because that's all you really need to know.
Ol' Ray Winstone sloshes through this slow script at a snails pace. He's never very interesting or engaging, like Liam Neeson's character from Taken, or Denzel Washington's from Man On Fire. He's boring. I was really mad when at the beginning (spoiler here) Ray asks "Why didn't she have her phone?" This was never answered, which was confusing and irritating.
The biggest problem with this movie is that I never cared about the girl who was missing. Unlike Taken, we never meet the daughter, so I honestly didn't care what happened to her character.
Maybe they were just to tired to film a decent ending, because (spoiler) when Ray finally sees his daughter again it's under ridiculous, perhaps stupid circumstances. The end is a big slap in the face, throughout the film you're thinking; "Was it the girl's lover who did something? The strip club owner?" But it doesn't answer any of these questions, hence wasting an hour or so of your time.
If you absolutely have to see this, watch the first scene and the last scene, because that's all you really need to know.
Brilliant
rossdiaz-123 September 2004
To be honest, the way I'm going at the moment absolutely anything with Ray Winstone in is brilliant. And that goes for this.
I hardly ever watch TV, but when i saw this advertised and starring ray i thought it must be worth a watch and i was right!
The story was gripping and i really felt for Rays character (Harry). I'm not a father (yet) but i cant imagine what it would be like for this to happen to somebody. A really great story.
I would really like to watch the last half hour again, because it seemed to move really fast and i didn't properly get a few parts. The ending was a bit "sudden", there could of done with another half hour or so on the end to tell us more about his daughter etc. 10/10 for me however, i loved it.
I hardly ever watch TV, but when i saw this advertised and starring ray i thought it must be worth a watch and i was right!
The story was gripping and i really felt for Rays character (Harry). I'm not a father (yet) but i cant imagine what it would be like for this to happen to somebody. A really great story.
I would really like to watch the last half hour again, because it seemed to move really fast and i didn't properly get a few parts. The ending was a bit "sudden", there could of done with another half hour or so on the end to tell us more about his daughter etc. 10/10 for me however, i loved it.
Superb acting, superb timing, superb themes, superb setting
ian_harris7 November 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Well acted throughout and the suspense was excellent. Disregard other comments about the ending - I won't add to the near spoilers by elaborating but we found the balance just fine and the ending very believable and touching.
Lots of issues touched on here, not least the covert racism in Ray Winstone's character and the timing of the thing (at the time of the synagogue & consulate bombings) a brilliant setting.
All performances were good, especially the daughter's friend, the wife and the Turkish cop, but Ray Winstone stole the show.
Highly recommended.
Lots of issues touched on here, not least the covert racism in Ray Winstone's character and the timing of the thing (at the time of the synagogue & consulate bombings) a brilliant setting.
All performances were good, especially the daughter's friend, the wife and the Turkish cop, but Ray Winstone stole the show.
Highly recommended.
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