The Mountain Between Us

Films about survival whether they're based on fact or fiction has always fascinated me as I believe it does with a plethora of others. Whether we're talking about "Alive" or "The Revenant" or even "Titanic", these stories keep us on that proverbial edge of our seats. So when I saw my first trailer of "The Mountain Between Us", I simply had to venture out to the multiplex see if they were going to survive.

 

Two strangers headed from Salt Lake City to Baltimore-- one a surgeon, Ben Bass (Idris Elba) who has to perform a surgery, the other a photojournalist, Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) who's about to get married, hail a chartered flight together after their initial plans fall through. Unfortunately, they end up stranded on a remote snowy mountain when their plane crashes, and soon realize they must trek hundreds of miles over treacherous terrain to safety since no one knows they are out there so subsequently no one is coming to rescue them. Will they make it considering their odds are grim?

 

Others to round out the cast are Beau Bridges as Walter, the pilot, Dermot Mulroney as Mark, Alex's fiancé, Vincent Gale as Airline Customer Service, Marci T. House as Airline Rep and Raleigh and Austin as the Dog.

 

This was intensely yet sensitively directed by Hany Abu-Assad ("Nazareth 2000 (Documentary) '01, "Dana's Wedding" '02, "Ford Transit" (Documentary) '03, "Paradise Now" '05, "Do Not Forget Me Istanbul" '10, "The Courier" '12, "Omar" '13, "The Idol" '15). I say sensitively because this shows two human beings slowly connecting from being total strangers and this filmmaker's ability to transition these actors to show this was subtle and effective. It was well thought out by writers Chris Weitz ("Antz" '98, "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" 2000, "About a Boy" '02, "The Golden Compass" '07, "Cinderella" '15, "Star Wars: Rouge One" '16) plus TV and J. Miles Goodloe ("A Gentlemen's Game" '02, "Pride" '07, "The Best of Me" '14, "The Age of Adaline" '15, "Everything, Everything" '17) which is based on the novel by Charles Martin. Considering these two writers have approximately the same amount of experience, their resumes are both amazingly eclectic. Both have drama and comedy to their credit, but where the irony comes in is neither of them have extreme survival films under their belts. Usually this would present a problem, but considering they both are seasoned writers, they were able to pull off this screenplay with cohesiveness and sensitivity. These attributes are not found as often as they should from Hollywood, so I was pleasantly surprised. Other than a couple of places of stillness in story, this script simply soared. I would like to see them write their next screenplay together if this is what they produced with this story.

 

If you're a filmgoer that's into intense, grueling survival films, this will fit the bill. Although this is based on a novel--being fiction, this could've easily been based on a true story, because the way it was written and acted-- both Elba and Winslet were stunning, one would have to keep reminding themselves that this is not a true story.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: PG-13                                    112mins.