FALL (2022)

Genre: Thriller
Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Intense Sequences)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 August 2022

Synopsis: For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey, Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter's expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights in this adrenaline-fueled thriller costarring Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Movie Review:

This is one of those movies which will make you think, “If I were in the same situation as the unlucky bloke or lass, I’d just give up and wait to perish.” One title that comes to mind is Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours (2010), where a mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone and has to turn to desperate measures in order to survive. The critically acclaimed film was based on the autobiographical book “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” by American mountain climber Aron Ralston, which means the unfortunate circumstances can happen in real life. While we aren’t sure whether the happenings in Scott Mann’s action thriller defy logic, they had us holding our breath and fearing for the characters’ lives.

We first meet Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) at a climbing trip which ends with Becky’s husband falling to his death. Fast forward 12 months later and we see a depressed Becky trying to cope with her loss, and there’s nothing her father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) can do. Hunter appears and convinces Becky to join her in a dangerous climb up a 2000 feet TV tower in the middle of a desert. The angle? The grieving Becky would be able to get closure, and the social media influencer Hunter would be able to get exciting content for her YouTube channel.

And the movie brings viewers on a suspense filled thrill ride that features characters who obviously aren’t smart enough to make sound decisions, but provide enough tense moments to make this movie a very entertaining trip to the cinema.

When the two ladies make their way up the scarily high tower (complete with creaky metal rods and loose screws), you know that things aren’t going to end well. When they get trapped at the top of the tower and can’t contact anyone because there is no mobile network, you are unsure whether they deserved to be in this plight, or want them to survive this ordeal. Then one ill fated turn of event takes place after another, slowly but surely eliminating the chance to get down the tower alive.

What happens to the unlucky girls? They lose their backpack containing a water bottle, the only available flare stick they find and light up does not bring them the attention they want, their drone runs out of battery, and there are vultures flying in the sky. Not everything is believable (you may even laugh at some of these plot devices), but one thing for sure – your eyes will be glued to the big screen as the protagonists try to survive another day on the tower.

Given the plot, the filmmakers did not waste the opportunity to create some vertigo inducing sequences, and experiencing them in the theatres is like taking a plunge on a roller coaster – faint hearted audiences may feel your stomach sink. There is also an obligatory plot twist which pushes a character to the limits, and while some may find it ridiculous, it is a situation you do not want to be in.

Movie Rating:

(The minimalist thriller may not be entirely believable, but it does a great job delivering the thrills and spills)

Review by John Li