Review: The Canyon

The Canyon

OPENING: 10/23/2009

STUDIO: Truly Indie

RUN TIME: 102 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Surviving is just the beginning.

Opening Statement
Hollywood has long been fond of the "ordinary people in hellish situations" genre. Based on box office returns for films like The Strangers and Open Water so too are contemporary audiences. Everyone loves a tense film. This particular style makes it easy for the viewer to get into the protagonists shoes and endure the rollercoaster horror through their own imagination. Richard Harrah’s The Canyon takes the action to the Grand Canyon, concocting a disastrous dilemma for two young newlyweds. While the film is far from perfect (with an unfortunately strung out opening), it builds to a satisfactory conclusion, facilitating momentum with fantastical ease.

Facts of the Case
Nick (Eion Bailey, Fight Club) and Lori (Yvonne Strahovski, NBC’s Chuck) decide to follow up their Vegas wedding with a Honeymoon near the Grand Canyon, planning to take a guided tour through the legendary landmark as a way to celebrate their nuptials. Initially struggling to procure an authorized guide on such short notice, they end up going with the rugged and mysterious Henry (Will Patton, Armageddon). Whilst a little unorthodox, Henry does appear knowledgeable and safe, but disaster strikes when a freak accident leaves the pair without their Mules, their supplies, and a fatally injured Henry. Now Nick and Lori have to face the expansive and merciless environment by themselves, hoping to escape before starvation finishes them or hungry predators decide they’d make a nice meal.

The Evidence
There is a fair amount to like about The Canyon, and it would certainly be nice if it could find a decent audience during its limited theatrical run. Director Richard Harrah has largely worked as a production executive within the industry and, in many ways, his robust and skillful handling of this project’s climax is its greatest asset. Audiences should be warned the film pulls very few punches. Those seeking a provocative survivalist picture are recommended to check this one out. However, if you are willing to accept The Canyon on its most basic and fundamentally suspenseful levels, many of its flaws are easily forgiven.

Bailey and Strahovski (both are relatively young performers) provide competent performances, a tolerable pair to hang such a genre effort on, giving audiences enough of a hook to care about their character’s fates. Due to an event that occurs halfway through the story, Strahovski is given a little more leverage to tear out her inner survivor, rising to the challenge admirably. The only other genuine presence is Patton as the roughed-up outdoorsman who takes them through the Canyon. While he only lasts for a third of the story, he offers an authentically ragged yet colorful performance, creating a character that keeps the audience on edge but also quite likable.

As a thriller, The Canyon doesn’t always manage to find the right note. The opening, for example, is overly stretched and liable to induce a vague sense of tedium. Debut screenwriter Steve Allrich struggles a bit with the exposition and, at times, the dialogue is truly woeful. Audiences will be rewarded by not losing faith and toughing out the first 20 minutes, but there is really no excuse for having them do so. When the story really kicks in and the characters are stranded, Harrah manages to find a more clinical pace, unearthing enough tension to excuse the continuously weak dialogue, before rushing to a brutal and more enjoyable second half. The film shoots out ravenous wolves, gory injuries, and gruesome snakes bites for a large portion of its runtime, but Harrah doesn’t neglect the innate and more subtle desperation such an event would conjure. I definitely commend the film for exploiting the eerie feeling of disconnection from wider society, and the panic which stems from knowing help isn’t on the way.

The Grand Canyon is a setting ripe for delicious shot construction and Harrah doesn’t disappoint. The film was reputedly made for a very modest $10 Million, so the fact it looks so lavish and attractive is no small feat, the camera manipulating the gorgeous surroundings rather than plumping itself for glossy visuals thrillers often lather themselves in. The scenes set at the night are given a pleasing dollop of atmosphere, due to a neat mixture of visuals and sound, creating an expansive and haunting feel. The Canyon builds to a wonderfully nihilistic and distressing final few minutes, in which most the movie’s problems dissipate thanks to the intrepid filmmaking on display.

Closing Statement
The Canyon is a flawed film and (outside of its conclusion) a bit forgettable, but still enjoyable. While it’s not likely to become a genre classic, it does provide a solid demo reel for what director Richard Harrah and his two leads might be capable of in the future.

The Verdict
6/10

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