Alone

Unexpected quality. In recent years I became convinced that the victim-forest-hunter concept has become exhausted, and I didn’t even enjoy this year’s satirical The Hunt, but here they are working on surprisingly fertile ground. 100 minutes may seem too much, but this film doesn’t have a single redundant scene that wouldn’t hold the viewer’s attention. And yet, it’s not a world-class example of psychology and originality, it’s more than enough that the characters maintain the functional characteristics of the archetypes, that the heroine doesn’t behave stupidly and we can root for her, and that the villain is properly nasty in a way that is inconspicuous from the outside (the two telephone calls with his family do a pretty good job). Also, it’s well laid out narratively, the stages of the story are always moving forward without any boring wanderings about in the woods, and the escape from captivity takes place right in the middle of the film, which is also proof that someone thought things out while writing instead of only relying on a proven template. It’s simple, but at the same time simply gripping and effective. The scene with the unfortunate rescuer Robert is brilliantly executed and the final confrontation is also satisfying. John Hyams has made a better film than his relatively famous father has made in the last 30 years. 75% (09/23/2020)