The second film of day 5 at Toronto After Dark 2011 quickly became my favorite. I did not have very high expectations for this one. The trailer didn’t really put together what was going on in the film and it certainly didn’t get across the kind of tense action I was going to be treated to.
When a group of climbers find a girl buried in an underground room, they find themselves caught up in a kidnapping plot involving some very dangerous men. This movie managed to be so intense that I honestly forgot I was in a movie theatre surrounded by about 700 people. It wasn’t until a moment near the end of the film where everyone started cheering that I kind of woke up and realized where I was again. I’ve never been that engrossed in a film before, at least not in the theatre.
The film starts out as a very tense and surprising flick but slowly turns into a more straight up action film by the end. It’s too bad they didn’t have that same level of tension towards the end but it doesn’t really hurt the film at all. From the first moment that the action begins, it never lets up. I’m not even sure that action packed is good enough to describe this one.
The group finds the little girl buried in the middle of nowhere.
I was honestly shocked by many moments early in the film. I just didn’t see the things coming and when they did, they came hard and fast. Nothing feels safe for the first hour of the film. Unfortunately, it gradually falls into the trap of typical action films by the end as you know that the good guy has to win and the bad guy has to lose. It does take away from the tense kind of action that began the film, but what it leaves is a kind of crowd pleasing, cheer inducing finale.
I’m really surprised at how much I got sucked into the film. It’s an experience I’ve never had before and it’s one that I hope can be repeated. You’re really just feeling every emotion that the characters onscreen are feeling. You’re shocked, scared, confused, and tired. It’s almost exhausting just trying to watch. It probably helps that I’m also afraid of heights and there are some very dizzying shots of people climbing up the sides of mountains.
Anna (Holly Boyd) being protected by Alison (Melissa George).
The ending does seem to be more of something that had to be done as opposed to what could have been done. It’s hard to think of another way to come to a conclusion for this film, even if you wish that it could have. It’s good, but the rest of the film is so great that it actually overshadows the finish. Honestly, anyone who can come up with something better should be offered a contract right now. I bet they’d be able to make some amazing films. Until that time, I’ll wait patiently for Julian and Will Gilbey to come up with something new.
This is an absolute must see film and I can’t wait to show it to everyone I know that missed the chance to see it at TAD. This is the reason that people should be coming out every year. A film like this should be experienced on the big screen. I just hope that even more people get to see it the same way I did.
In the shadows – Will
