“If you screw with mother nature, she will find a way to screw you back.” – Henry (Will Patton)
The mighty Arizona Grand Canyon is one of America’s finest tourist natural attractions that is a staple of American culture and is one of the largest results of any other water versus land erosion examples. Stretching 277 miles with a width from anywhere between 4 to 18 miles and a depth that is a sure fatal 6000 feet, the Grand Canyon, since 1870, has been involved in a reported roughly around 600 related deaths; they range from falling over the side by being too curious, to suicide, to drowning in the Colorado River, and to even homicide.
You won’t hear about any of those remarkable facts during your screening of Magnolia Pictures’ and Magnet Releasing’s latest release of Richard Harrah’s feature debut entitled The Canyon – a confusing title that clearly describes the said location yet reveals almost nothing about the 5.4 billion year old massive dent in the Earth.
Instead from the film, you’ll receive only a fraction of what the Grand Canyon has to offer as a death way out and that notion includes, but not limited to, dehydration, starvation, confusion, and hysteria. Sounds like it would make for a good thriller, right? It attains all the right qualities of a thriller. Hell, even the trailer and the DVD cover market it as an engaged suspenseful film that would suppose to enthrall you on the rim of isolated terror. Yet somewhere along the way, The Canyon missed it’s mark. A mistaken attitude or persona has replaced the fear that is suppose to be instilled in our protagonists to a more lighthearted and relaxed state leaving only the brief scenes of grim reality that are in some cases associated with lost hikers: graphic snake bites, amputated limbs, and the mental and physical anguish of the mind and body.
Lori and Nick are an eloped married couple straight from Las Vegas. Haunted by the recently deceased military brother and never living up to taking the journey of exploring the Grand Canyon by trail mules, Nick coerces Lori, if not guilt trips her, to take this trip with him. There is only one problem, they don’t have a backpacking permit that is required. Unable to obtain one from the proper ranger authorities, Nick sobs in his defeat until a down on his luck old trail guide by the name of Henry over hears his woes. With Henry providing the salvation, the permit, and the Grand Canyon know how to knowledge, Nick and Lori find themselves on the back of a mule, slowly trotting down the side of the canyon walls until they reach their destined site. Everything seems perfect with the scenic landscape being beyond breathtaking and, with most of all, their grizzly looking tour guide coming through as a real and authentic gentlemen of the outdoors. When they are given the option to stray off the beaten path, that is when things then and there begin to go array. Henry falls victim to not one but two venomous snake bites. The newly weds strength will be tested when they have to face an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar dangers together.
Lori and Nick on their own…
When you look closely at this film, it is the basic and well over done concept of man versus nature. You put man in a setting where they are novel and you watch them squirm. When I say squirm, I don’t mean a gory blood fest that has intestines and bones being splattered amongst the feet of their corpses. It isn’t that kind of movie but there are one or two scenes that will make the corners of your mouth tweak upward in a fast-acting reaction. The squirm I’m referring to is a feeling of the disoriented, the feeling of being lost, and the sometimes over zealousness that can make one become to believe they have the understanding what to do in a hopeless tight spot when in actuality they have no clue. That scenario can overwhelm the rational human senses and thought process and The Canyon scratches at it more than delves deep into the thickness that should have engulfed it like a hurricane engulfs a small town.
Lori Vs Wolves!
Steve Allrich’s script is an adventurous wreck of a tale of a married couple trapped in the depths of, and here it is somewhat related of to the title, the canyon. The couples’ reaction to the resulting and unsuspecting turn for the worse gears more toward a misguided sense of borderline light flirtation and hopelessness. It is a weird combination and a odd tactic to use flirtation as a device for the characters to remain calm in a chaotic confinement. The way I look at it is, if I’m trapped below 6000 feet on a surface covered with nothing else but sand, where the wild life is made up of scorpions, snakes and wolves, and with no food or water supplies, I would literally be out of my mentally insane mind trying to think of every way possible to get out of that hell hole – or dent. I’m going to go off on a little side note here and say that the title should be changed to Lori Fights Wolves because that is all she does. Forget the witty dialogue that seems to spew from Nick’s mouth every ten seconds and focus on the matter at hand in a realistic sense. There were less than a handful of moments when true fear set in and the couples’ strength and love was really tested, but yet even with that scene, it was quickly resolved and absolved. Director Richard Harrah can not really be blamed here nor can you point any fingers at the cast. Lightly seasoned actor Eion Bailey performs as witty Nick in detail, creating that lighthearted relaxed mood that doesn’t really fit the rest of the movie. I could see wasted potential for Bailey is a solid actor who can do action, adventure and drama – see the World War II biopic HBO series called Band of Brothers or horror thriller Mindhunters. As for Aussie Yvonne Strahovski, she definitely has a serious case of the hots; she sure does make me sweat. She is the only one that seems to grow as far as character build up. She isn’t as bland as her counterpart Nick. Her hidden strengths make her the reversed alpha of the film, a diamond in the rough would be a good metaphor. Yvonne really drives her first unshared female lead and helms the reigns, riding that kangaroo all the way in to have Lori become a liked character with qualities that are noble, brave and courageous to the extent of overshadowing her husband Nick to where he isn’t even noticeable anymore. The last character I wanted to touch upon was Henry played by Will Patton who is probably one of the better character actors out in the business today. Patton captures Henry’s grit, but he doesn’t reveal too much about the character. We are unaware of what intentions Henry may have: is he a honest man who is rough around the edges or does he have something more sinister in mind?
Patton as the rugged outdoors man, Henry
In the style directing, Richard Harrah chose a more an iconic western approach. Continuous shots of the dry, dessert landscape is one of the more obvious conclusions to his particular style for The Canyon; however, there are other factors that can be considered. Henry, for example, is a seasoned outdoors man who has “rassled” bears and mountain lions with the scars to prove it, which can also be seen as a bit of foreshadowing, and has lived among the Native Americans and can speak their tongue. He resembles between the brutish look of the fictionalized character of Grizzly Adams, or it can be more simpler said he has the looks of the town drunk, but also has the manners of a true gent like the realistic on-screen persona of John Wayne. You also have the score; a fierce tone of way out west acoustic guitar solos accompanied with heavy tone strikes and slides – sorry, if I don’t know the musical technical jargon associated with that of the acoustic guitar.
Though the viewer may tread through much of the naivety and innocence of our couples’ hopeful outlook, we are greeted gratefully with a surprise ending that speaks in the same dimensions of a William Shakespeare or, a more recent notable figure, Frank Darabont tragedy. The finale becomes a wholeheartedly welcome because, at least to this reviewer, it is still fresh and shocking with only a handful of views. Harrah isn’t afraid to chance his immaturity and scores big, working a scene that could potentially drop your hearts into the pit of your stomachs.
The Reel Reviewer says this film ranks as “Premium Channel” worthy. The Cayon is good for some laughs and not many thrills; it is rated R for brief disturbing images aka one 4 second scene. Yeah, it is a very fine line between rated R and PG-13. There is a fine execution from first time feature director Richard Harrah with one or two strong characters but as far as storyline and unique characters or special effects there is really nothing new that can be taught to us or to entertain us. I’d suggest waiting until The Canyon makes its appearance from off the rental shelves and onto the premium channels like Cinemax or Showtime. This is a direct-to-DVD release, so it might not take long for it to hit the tube!
DVD REVIEW
The DVD single release by Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing is one that can’t be complained about. The widescreen, 2.40:1, presentation is clear and near perfection for being on an upconversion player. The dry, tan colors of the west really burden the eyes on all its brownness. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is well-balanced through all the surrounding speakers – there was no hassle to trying to equalize the ambiance and the dialogue.
There is a special feature labeled “Discovering The Canyon” which allows the actors, Eion Baily, Yvonne Strahovski and Will Patton to express their feelings and emotions about the beauty of that which is the Grand Canyon. If you care to listen to opinions of other people about tourist traps, be my guest. I’ve experienced the Grand Canyon first hand and it is breathtaking but I don’t need to listen to other people talk about it for 10 minutes. The deleted scenes really speak more to Will Patton’s character Henry and his intentions. You’ll see more of the character Nick spewing out more of his famous flirtations and having love-dovey spats with his wife Lori. The next two features are, what I think, worthy of watching and those are the Behind the Scenes Montage and the Yvonne Strahovski Casting Session. You see more of the what goes behind the scenes of a movie like The Canyon and though nothing is really explained, you get a gist mediocre move magic!
The Reel Reviewer says this DVD ranks as “Better Than I thought.” I am always surprised to find mediocre films to have, not stunning, but decent features and presentation. I would have never guessed that an 102 minute film called The Canyon would have watchable and somewhat interesting extras. The front and back cover art is a bit c-grade-photoshop-amateur-style-ish but it doesn’t speak on the movie’s behalf for it is way better than it looks.
The Canyon will be released and hit shelves at local retailers November 17, 2009!
2 heads = All I Got Was Sizzle! / 1 head = No Meat What-So-Ever!
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