Gone

Gone, despite the lame title, is an enjoyable film from first time director Ringan Ledwidge.

A very underplayed thriller revolving around the relationship between a backpacking British couple and a suspicious American, I found the film refreshing for managing to avoid the same traps that most films of this genre stumble with.

The catalyst of the film - the relationship between the two male leads - was handled delicately, full of nuance, and was almost Hitchcockian in its building of suspense.

As the events of the film are comparable to the recent Peter Falconio / Joanne Lees case, it would have been advisable to set the film elsewhere - especially since the vast expanse of the Australian outback has been seen too recently in films like John Hillcoat's 'The Proposition' and Phillip Noyce's 'Rabbit Proof Fence'. A possible alternative for the location of the film could have been New Zealand's South Island - picturesque, isolated, and just as popular with backpackers as Australia.

I was lucky enough to see a preview screening of the film, followed by a Q&A session with Ringan Ledwidge and Amelia Warner. Definitely one to watch, Warner could be a future English rose of the film industry (especially if she manages to avoid wearing orange lamé blouses in public!). Watch this space!

Elsewhere on this site, there is mention of the film being a rip-off of Dead Calm. Although I can see the similarities, Gone is a much more intriguing film. Although the two films deal with the same issues, I see Dead Calm as a popcorn film for the masses. Gone, on the other hand, is much more cerebral and perfect for an audience who appreciates attention to detail.

I would definitely recommend this film to friends.

This is one of the many movies called "gone" made in 2007.This one is a road movie (Australia has become a good place to film such flicks of the genre) and even ,a road movie too many.It cannot hold a candle,for instance ,to "Kalifornia" (1993) and the beautiful landscapes and a superb shot of the Australian sky at dawn can't hide what is definitely lacking: a firm screenplay and elements which would have made Taylor an interesting character .The Taylor/Alex relationship revolves around the latter's girlfriend and it's not enough to keep the movie from being derivative .Only the trick of the phone is pretty smart but the average viewer will have guessed what happened long before the ending.An ending in the grand tradition of "Friday the thirteenth" .Nothing new under the Australian sun.

In this film a UK couple travelling across Australia, pal up with an easy-going American who turns out to have a 'dark-side'.

This film scores in the respect that the way the American gradually reveals his hidden character is quite subtle. He manipulates the couple into turning against each other and then uses the chasm he creates to perform a divide-and-conquer type operation.

The film falls short in as much the female, as the easily duped girlfriend, isn't quite believable, and seems so gullible that if you told her with a cute smile that her panties were on fire she'd probably go and jump in a lake. Although I think this can be accounted for by the script.

Also the ending is quite silly.

Gone sure is a surprise - I didn't expect it to be as good. The soundtrack is almost perfect. All of the actors are good, but Scott Mechlowicz in particular. I first discovered him in Mean Creek (2005), and I must admit that although his character in Gone isn't nearly as moving and interesting, he delivers a solid performance that almost makes me sympathize with Taylor.

The pacing is somewhat off, and unfortunately, the suspenseful beginning is quickly brought to an end towards the end of the movie where the clicheés line up and actually make me cringe. The last twenty minutes, Gone transforms into a typical horror film, which is a shame, since the story does have potential in the beginning.

A movie with a feeling of being alone as indicated by the beautiful vegetation of Australia's desert region and feelings of being gone; being so far away from everyone and everywhere for anyone to hear your screams. Again, there is such beauty with scenes of sunsets and vegetation; but it is a perfect time for murder and mystery to begin and spoil the lot! In the beginning of this movie,it seems that one would not expect violence to come in between the characters, but soon; creepy sexual signs develop which can be fatal. Silence is common. And there is such an eerie feeling that someone is going to be trapped in the back of that shambolic 4 wheel-drive.