A Lonely Place To Die

Climbing thriller A Lonely Place To Die shot in and out of the cinemas in the time it takes to attach a crampon to your trekking boots. This is a shame as, even though it doesn’t grip as hard as it might, it at least secures its footing and provides decent entertainment from its largely unknown cast and low budget. Director Julian Gilbey starts his film with a scene that virtually all films of this ilk have, that of the lone climber(s) scaling an impossibly steep cliff face. It’s breathtaking stuff and one slipped foot later hints at the thrills to come. Next though we’re introduced to the players, a group of climbing enthusiasts (including Melissa George) who, whilst enjoying a scramble over the Scottish Highlands stumble across a young Serbian girl buried alive in an underground chamber. Before long it isn’t just the elements the group needs to be concerned with. The casting of the film is actually its main point of interest. George is the lead and as she’s the only mildly famous person in the film, it’s fairly obvious she’s going to make it to the final frame. That’s not a spoiler by the way as the trailer already spells this out and let’s face facts, this was hardly going to be a Psycho situation, was it? On the plus side it also means the film benefits from the thriller / horror facet where an unknown cast leads to a higher rate of tension as you never know who’s going to get it next. It’s the shame though that the minor characters aren’t fleshed out enough and the only things we learn about them come via some dodgy lines in the script. In respect of the overall screenplay it’s pretty smart throughout, but Gilbey doesn’t explain it in a coherent way meaning it’s unclear as to what is actually going on at times as more and more characters (including Sean Harris in his usual unsettling role as a nut job) and plot twists are introduced. It also peters out a bit at the end, but the first two thirds are enjoyable enough and this deserves the benefit of the doubt.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

Not quite the white knuckle ride it could have been, but it still has enough edge and smarts to garner further viewings down the line. Rating: 7/10.