Despite the lukewarm reviews, this wasn't a horrible film.
Alex Martin (Kate Winslet, playing American) and Ben Bass (Idris Elba, playing British) are in a bind. They both need to get places soon but their flights have been canceled so they book an off-the-books flight (piloted by Beau Bridges), which crashes after the pilot suffers a stroke and thus their quest for survival begins.
That is the majority of the film and surviving in the wilderness and extreme cold must be daunting. Fortunately, Ben is a doctor which is helpful, considering Alex's leg is severely hurt. They clash as each wants to survive in a different way but eventually they also fall in love and then, Alex limps to safety in the form of a logging camp.
As this is a mainstream Hollywood film, both main characters survive with little physical wounds to remain them of their ordeal but their mental struggle is much greater. Alex calls off her wedding to the caring Mark (Dermot Mulroney) and Ben returns to his homeland, conquering his fear of flying. Though he never says it, it must be a fear of his and though Alex is willing to leave that they had back on the mountain and so is Ben but they both turn around and rush into each other's arms, which promptly ends the film.
So, yeah, the film wasn't spectacular but it was decent and the romance is rather gradual but then erupts. And it was also too convenient that Ben's wife had passed away but it also adds a layer to his devastation and loneliness. Winslet and Elba turn in solid performances without missing a note and the film relies on them to do so as it would collapse if one of them failed but that loose ending ticked me off. I like something solid and finite and this film failed to provide that for me and it needed a strong ending as the film meandered along, taking its sweet old time getting to them being rescued. Still, it wasn't the worst way to spend an evening alone. Grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment