For some reason Hollywood seems to think that the more money
you toss at a film the better it will be. The failure of some of the costliest
films ever made should have taught them that that isn't always the case. Another
thing that should have taught them better is when incredibly low budget films
produce large offerings of talent and story. Such is the case with this film.
October (Sean Elliot) is returning home to visit with his
father, a man he lost touch with several years back. Just why they lost touch
is never explained until later in the film, but we know there was some horrific
event in their lives that caused October to drift away.
Russell (Lance Henriksen) is the local sheriff and he's been
waiting for the day his son would return. The trauma that separated the two is
in the past and his hopes are that with a camping trip in the local woods
things can be set straight.
Things take a turn for the worse when Russell thinks he sees
something in the woods turns to shoot at it and falls from a low hanging cliff
to the rocks near a river. The result is severely fractured leg that October, a
med student, can set but that will impede their ability to get back to their
car. Besides the injury the other main concern is this creature that is
attempting to kill both father and son. Just what this creature is becomes a
plot point in the film.
While the pair try to combat the monster that stalks them, a
quick and vicious creature that they both see on and off, they stick close to a
tree they fortify with spear like defenses and begin to simply talk to one
another. The conversations they have are not long winded or lengthy but each
one reveals more and more of the characters and their affections for one
another that were cut short with the tragic event they both shared.
Flashbacks that are dropped in as hints eventually reveal
the entire story. Without giving away anything I will say that they involve
father and son and a young girl that Russell brought into their lives years ago
who grew into a lovely lady that October was in love with. With each snippet of
film that shows the three characters growing older and changing with time we
see the closeness of this family. Not until late in the film are we shown what
happened and honestly it wasn't something that was easy to guess at early on.
As Russell's wound grows worse and the chances of their
survival dwindle, October realizes that if they will live it will only happen
two ways: either he will have to get help or he will have to confront the
creature that is stalking them. Can he confront this evil? Will either of both
survive? And what of that mysterious event that happened long ago?
The best and most impressive thing about this movie is the
acting on display. I'm new to Elliot but he does an admirable job in the role
of October. Henriksen does his usual stand out performance. A star of many low
budget films he has been an actor that has turned in more outstanding
performances than anyone would give him credit for. Henriksen is one of those
actors who can take a small role and make it seem outstanding. You would be
hard pressed to find a bad performance from him.
The movie is a great example of what I call a slow burn, a
story that unravels itself rather than just throw it in your face during the
first 15 minutes. Movies like this are rarely made these days due to what I
consider the MTV generation, a group of young movie goers who want everything
placed in front of them and want it now without having to wait or think things out.
One day I hope they discover how they short change themselves from classic
films and from movies like this one. Who knows, maybe they'll discover it and
it will make them seek out others.
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