Disappearance ** (2002, Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey) – Classic Movie Review 12,847

Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey from TV’s LA Law are reunited in the 2002 mystery thriller film Disappearance as a married couple driving with their two kids in Nevada, when they make the mistake of stopping off at a ghost town.

Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey from TV’s LA Law are reunited in writer/ director Walter Klenhard’s 2002 mystery thriller film Disappearance as a married couple driving with their two kids (Jeremy Lelliott, Basia A’Hern) in Nevada, when they make the mistake of stopping off at a ghost town called Weaver, an abandoned mining site.

The fact that it isn’t on the map should have warned them, and so should all those other cheesy movies about travellers who stray from the main highway. Something weird happens to their car, so they are obliged to spend the night in the town.

Not too much happens in this cheesy ghost story, and there is a very unsatisfactory climax to reward those who stay the course, but nevertheless there is plenty of eerie atmosphere and suspense. The appealing and commendably straight-faced Hamlin and Dey play it as though they believe in every word of Walter Klenhard’s script.

It was filmed in Adelaide, Australia, starting  in February 2001, and it aired on the cable TV network TBS (Turner Broadcasting System) on April 21, 2002 before being released on DVD on January 21, 2003.

The cast are Harry Hamlin as Jim Henley, Susan Dey as Patty Henley, Jeremy Lelliott as Matt Henley, Basia A’Hern as Kate Henley, Jamie Croft as Ethan, Jeremy Kewley as Sheriff Richards, Roger Newcombe as Lester, Victoria Dixon-Whittle as Lisa, and Annie Carter as Tammy.

Harry Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is best known as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film Clash of the Titans, and for starring in Making Love in 1982 – the first gay themed love story to be produced by a major studio, 20th Century Fox.

LA Law ran for eight seasons and 172 episodes on NBC from 1986 to 1994.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,847

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com