El rey de la montaña

Man traveling alone through the country stops at a gas station/rest stop, has an almost encounter with young lady before heading off again. Not long after that he finds he's the target of a sniper who seems intent on hunting him and anyone he comes in contact with. (There's more but its best you find out yourself)

Good, but not great thriller that has a great look, some nice twists, especially in the later part of the film. This is a film I admire more than "love". It's well made, it's well acted, it keeps you attention but it ever completely creates enough tension to truly engage you. The problem is rooted in the premise of the film, namely there is no way that the sniper could move around as fast or be able to engage our hero as quickly as he does. Our hero is in a motor vehicle (or vehicles) and the sniper isn't. Its not a glaring flaw, and it wasn't instantly apparent what it was that was bothering me. Only when events shifted in the second half did I have an "ah ha" moment. Once I realized what was bothering me I settled down and enjoyed the film more. Its still not a great film but it is a good one, and as I said I like the twists towards the end. Worth a look (and in my case second viewing since I think I may have missed a couple of things).

And his day got off to such a promising start. After stopping at a petrol station, a man finds himself propositioned to have a quick bit of nookie in the ladies toilet by a sexy young brunette. RESULT!! Unfortunately, he later discovers she's nicked his wallet and lighter. Oops. Still, on the road again, he sees her turn off and decides to pursue her vehicle... and before long, in circumstances too convoluted to explain, both are forced to team up as they find themselves stranded in the wilderness, being shot at by unseen snipers. Quite a turn-up for the books, eh?

Known as 'King Of The Hill' here in the UK (But with no connection to the TV show of the same name) this is a nail biting thriller with a very small cast, but an abundance of tension and realism. The aspect I most enjoyed was the way the participants were fleshed out, as despite being on the run for the most of length we discover a lot about them through their words and actions alone. Even the main 'villains', who we don't meet until late on, and their own unique perspectives. This is crucial to the movie's success as if it was a simple chase between two sets of caricatures with no discernible personalities, it wouldn't be half as absorbing as it clearly is.

People get hurt, tired and frustrated. Their very lives are on the line. They never know where the gunmen will crop up next. The terrain they have to trek through is inhospitable too, to say the least. It's all done with miraculous skill by the director, as the stakes are raised with every scene. Make sure you go to the bathroom beforehand... you're not gonna want to tear yourself away for a minute. A great thrill ride, and a smart one as well. 7/10

Made in 2007 this Spanish film is one that went under the radar which was a shame. It is all about a man imaginatively called 'Quim' - pronounced 'Keem' but still a cracking name. He is off to meet his ex girlfriend and try to put back his failed relationship back together, when he stops to fill up his car with petrol. There he has an encounter with a young and very light fingered young lady. He then heads off up this lonely mountain road.

Then out of the blue he gets shot at - despite owning a Volvo (with an NCAP rating of 4 I believe) he still gets hit. Only after he tries to leave does he realise what real trouble he is in.

Now there are a few plot holes here or rather some loose ends that I have only really realised on reflection. The plot is basic but the reveal or should I say reveals are good enough to prompt more than at least a couple of raised eyebrows. Good performances all round too; please note this is not a horror in the sense of blood and gore but more of a psychological thriller type. In Spanish with good sub titles - a film for those who really do like their films to be off the beaten track.

It doesn't take a huge amount of money to make a really great film. We've seen great low-budget movies develop out of a few simple ideas, a twist or two, and a little bit of solid acting. I'm thinking of movies like "Duel" - or the latter half of "Apocalypto". These suspenseful chase pieces featuring a good guy we can all relate to, caught in a very bad situation, can be thrilling. At first, El Rey de la Montana (english title: King of the Hill) suggests we are in for such a treat. Unfortunately the storyline never really develops to the point where we feel a connection to either the hero(es) or villain(s). There seemed to be some undue secrecy surrounding every character in the movie, preventing the viewer from fully understanding or appreciating the gravity of the situations that they found themselves in. Perhaps this was the point. When we don't know enough to trust others, we can't fully care about others. If this was the point, it was also the movie's biggest flaw.

Until I saw this film I read good comments, but was pretty much disappointed thereafter. What I expected is to see a decent movie of the genre underlined. What I saw is something similar to cinema-verite feature film. Camera tries to follow the action as it is for real while director is pretty much ignoring everything else. The plot, character development and even action itself. Feature film should bring you the recreation of the fiction or event, not the event itself as unlike watching documentary we don't know previously mentioned things: the participants, the action and what is going on between (them). Film looks like amateurish director debut to me and what is nice to be mentioned about this film are some really nice shots, and only that. 3 out of 10, if you ask me.