meransom

A juvenile soap opera script with a treatment by less-than-adequate acting in a false setting and two-dimensional characters. This is what this poorly produced movie offers. As an Alaskan, I find any references to Alaska or its lifestyle to be sorely lacking. Great scenery, but it was shot in British Columbia in Canada, not in Alaska. A shot of a raccoon, when Alaska has no raccoons. In one conversation with an Indian kid, there's reference to the kid's father losing his pine grove. There are no pine groves in Alaska, but there are plenty of stands of spruce. Great music. Given. Still, a lackluster screenplay and poor acting aside, the film ran on several improbable scenarios. Among them, an unnatural conflict between secondary character Rick and his wife at the dinner table. It tries to pull the viewer along into an improbable argument. Later, Denver's character and the friend's wife were prevented from getting gasoline by the film's bad guy, McClain. Despite never resolving the fuel shortage, Denver continues to fly and operate a boat extensively through the remainder of the film in his quest to solve the murder of his friend. Since Denver's ultimate demise came from not checking the fuel tanks of his aircraft upon departure from Monterrey, California, one could almost sense a sad prophetic theme. The one standout in this mess of mediocrity was typically superb performance by veteran actor Richard Masur, who played the film's villain. If you're looking for a cinematic masterpiece you'll not find it here.

I avoided watching this movie for years because of the bad press it received -- and because it's not particularly my favorite genre. Running thin on movies to watch one evening recently, however, I popped the DVD in the machine, sat back, and was pleasantly surprised. Dark and totally unpredictable (the unpredictability is a good thing), the movie starts out a bit too slow for my tastes, but eventually ramps up in both plot line and suspense to where I was literally on the edge of my seat several times. Better written than expected, often poignant, believable characters well developed and well acted, occasionally humorous, and chock full of cultural iconic references that causes one to smile.