A Lonely Place To Die (2011)

During a routine hiking trip, a group of friends/mountaineers accidentally stumble across a wooden chamber in the ground. Inside, they find a young Seriban girl buried alive, and the group of mountaineers instantly suspect a kidnapping. Naturally, the young Serbian girl is terrified, and she doesn’t trust the strangers, who are trying to help her. The group of mountaineers still offer their help regardless, but when the kidnappers return to claim their ransom, the amateur rescue mission quickly takes a turn for the worst. The kidnappers will kill anyone, who interferes with their chances of a cash prize, and Alison (Melissa George) will have to risk her life to save the Serbian girl.

The Scottish Highlands provided the perfect setting for A Lonely Place To Die. The steep, dangerous mountain ranges, the eerie silence of a vast region, and the seemingly endless wilderness provides a strong sense of fear, as the kidnappers hunt their prey. The main characters are cut off from civilization, and as time passes by, finding help from other people becomes an impossible task. The atmosphere of the Scottish Highlands enhances the panic and heartbreak throughout this film, and these feelings become stronger, during agonizing and emotional death scenes.

A Lonely Place To Die is a very solid thriller, that features some great suspense and tension, especially during the final moments. They did throw in some gore every now and then, but the bloody stuff never reaches extreme gross-out levels. This was a smart approach, because the violence didn’t overshadow the important plot points of the storyline. Julian Gilbey (the director for this film) delivered a strong life threatening survival story, and his solid directing was a nice touch here. Overall, the acting is decent enough, and Melissa George provided a convincing performance with the leading role. A Lonely Place To Die will give you an emotional, gut-wrenching thrill ride from beginning to end, and I couldn’t pull my self away from the TV screen, as the survivors struggled to find safety and help. I really enjoyed this film, and A Lonely Place To Die has earned a spot on my list of 2011 favorites.

Final Rating: 7/10