On a family trip in the African desert, a research scientist unintentionally travels off course and is brutally murdered by an arms dealer. His girlfriend is put to the ultimate survival test as she attempts to evade the killers and protect his teenage daughter.
Similar titles
Reviews
A Masterpiece!
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Man against the elements and predators on two legs is a regular cinematic theme, here though it is woman and feisty teenager against predators and then the elements. The hero, who studies hyenas and stuff for a living, doesn't last long when he is murdered after walking into what appears to be a rhino poaching operation. His daughter escapes, and is rescued by his Russian girlfriend. Clearly there has been friction between the two females, probably on account of the marriage break up, but you know how thirteen year olds can be.The big question is can either or both of them survive between automatic weapons, a shortage of potable water, hungry hyenas and the odd dust storm? Perhaps the even bigger question is what sort of poaching operation is this that has not only wheels but eyes in the sky? Still, one of the bad guys is not rotten to the core.
I watched this late at night and I was surprised I didn't fall asleep. But you know how sometimes a movie is so bad you just have to keep watching it? That would be this movie. Wooden acting by all the actors involved. Bad plot, with none of the relationships worth paying any attention to. Hyenas showing up at the oddest, yet most convenient, times. Hmmm, and they are in Africa and unprotected from the elements and the only animal that they ever run into is a hyena? OK, one snake. And I hate snakes, but that wasn't even frightening. Totally unreal. Did this even show in the theaters? I can't imagine it lasting more than a week before word got out how awful it was. Bah.
I've never seen as blatant a lie as this in filmmaking. I can only imagine that the producers knew they could not legitimately advertise this movie on its on merit, so they actually took to staging a poster image that had nothing to do with the actual film.IMDb, however, was more than honest in the plot summary. This is where our trusts must remain.This is no spoiler because I'm telling you what's NOT in this film and what's not in this film is Stephen Dorff with a gun defending his girlfriend and daughter. Ever! This actually NEVER happens. Stephen Dorff's character doesn't even SEE a gun, let alone, hold one. I'm actually baffled and appalled. Stephen Dorff, very poorly I might add, played the role of a dead-beat dad with the parenting skills of a dead tick. This was NOT a Stephen Dorff film. It LITERALLY had nothing to do with Stephen Dorff. This was a Svetlana Metkina and Maisie Williams film. And who the heck are they?? No one good. Let me tell you, I tried to give them the benefit of not doubting unknown faces. But, the best either of these two girls had for them was their ability to shed tears. Other than that, the most flat and ill-fitted actors to be cast in an attempted thriller like this were in this movie.AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS SCRIPT!! HA!! MY GOD IN HEAVEN! It's actually cringe-inducing. Seriously, you will cringe at how lame the dialogue is in this film. The actors, some of whom are reputable actors, couldn't even deliver these lines organically. Just don't pay for it!! For the love of all that is sacred in this life, just don't spend your money.
This movie has received strangely bad reviews. I liked it a lot. It has both action, adventure, excitement, interesting characters (especially the resourceful Russian stepmother), beautiful nature scenery, evil crooks and compassionate crooks. You also learn a little about the hyena. It kept me interested all the time! The bad relation between stepmother and stepdaughter in the beginning, is of course classic. It is infested with poison, as they are both female and both love the same man. In reality of course the stepmothers and stepdaughters seldom get such a fantastic opportunity to bond, as in this movie... but it is still worth checking out, if you are a stepmother (or -daughter).