High Lane (2009) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

France 2009
Director: Abel Ferry
Cast: Fanny Valette, Maud Wyler, Johan Libéreau, Raphaël Lenglet, Nicolas Giraud, Justin Blanckaert
Rating: -
Language: French
Release Date: 24 June 2009
Running Time: 1 hour 22 minutes

The Movie Review

High Lane film still 1


HIGH LANE (Vertige)
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

If we're talking about the most common phobias, No doubt Acrophobia AKA afraid of heights would be on the top ten! There are many things that people could easily be scared with even though they seem to be trivial such as mice, cockroach and some are afraid of foreigners or ghosts. But not everyone believes in ghost though, but heights? That could easily encounter anyone living in a big city and would really scare the living sh*t out of someone with the phobia and even the sheer imagination could really stun them. According to a survey by a private TV Network, most people are afraid of heights. That's probably why movies with this kind of terror is often a success.

This time it's from France, it's been playing in Cinemas in Indonesia for some time, and you can easily find its DVD or Blu-Ray anywhere, but if you still can catch this on big screen you're lucky. Because the cinematography will treat you with such beautiful scenery and just as you enjoy the view, High Lane will suddenly yank you into their world of thrills. But apparently High Lane AKA Vertige still got one more trick up its sleeves, I tell you that twist in the spoiler section below!

Chloé (Fanny Valette) and her four friends are vacationing to Risnjak Mountain in Croatia. They are climbers/hikers who really know how to deal with those stone giants, except for Chloé's new boyfriend, Loïc (Johan Libéreau) who is the least experienced among all. And quite unfortunate for Loïc, Chloe's ex-boyfriend, Guillaume (Raphaël Lenglet), is unexpectedly also coming with them.

But upon arriving on site, they're pretty disappointed knowing that it's already closed. However, the most expert member of the group, Fred (Nicolas Giraud), is determined to venture the mountain and he indeed finds a nice path for them to climb. Chloé, Loïc and Guillaume are hesitant at first but since Fred's girlfriend, Karine (Maud Wyler) keeps on encouraging them, then hop they go climbing the secluded mountain with no one else in sight. However, their determination and bravery are just exactly the things they're gonna regret...

-- Start of Spoiler Possibility Alert --
Like I said before, there is one more twist this movie holds. High Lane is a combination of nature horror and... slasher! Yep that's right, because apparently there is someone (Justin Blanckaert) living up on that mountain which will make the viewers remember of similar movie Cold Prey (2006). And because of this element of slasher --which feature no-masked killer-- High Lane could be an overly ambitious movie wanting to achieve many things in a single story. Luckily, the performance of the cast is solid! Especially Fanny Valette, Maud Wyler and Johan Libéreau which performances could really move you and make you feel their fear. I, personally would rather see High Lane to dismiss any element of evil human! And only to put nature wrath as the main "villain" in human-vs-nature. Nevertheless, frankly, the slasher elements are done considerably better than other slasher movies! And the fights between Fanny Valette or Johan Libéreau with Anton (Justin Blanckaert) is brutal and thrilling. The man flaw lies in the ending which oozes such predictably awful finale that slasher fans have seen too many before.
-- End of Spoiler Possibility Alert --

As a hybrid movie which arguably ambitiously combine two elements of horror, High Lane would be one heckuva thrilling movie for the casual moviegoers! Right from the start the cinematography will treat you with such splendid view of the blues and greens of nature. And once the movie starts to be on thrill-mode pertaining the heights, High Lane becomes really engaging with almost the same feel you would have from watching Cliffhanger (1993). Beware you acrophobe! :) But what makes it different from most horror movies is the element of surprise which somehow could just shock you good and manages to be one step ahead of your expectation. High Lane delivers more thrills compared to other teenage horror flicks churned out in Cinemas. Recommended!

> Acrophobe Alert!: Vertical Limit (2000) and Touching the Void (2003).

> Outdoor Holiday Gone Wrong!: Black Water (2007), 127 Hours (2010) and Frozen (2010).

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com
Twitter: @movielogy
posted: Tuesday, 22 November 2011 11:05 am