On paper, The Gorge should be a home run. It’s the story of two snipers on opposite sides of a massive, mysterious gorge that may be the gateway to hell. Their job is to protect it at all costs, but when the two start to develop a relationship, those responsibilities begin to go out the window and hell gets unleashed. The snipers are played by the excellent Miles Teller and the amazing Anya Taylor-Joy and it’s directed by Scott Derrickson, who has continuously wowed us with films like Sinister, Doctor Strange, and The Black Phone.
With all that going for it, it’s no surprise that much of The Gorge works. Its intriguing setup, gorgeous locations, and fantastic actors all but ensure that. But at a certain point, a film that starts as so original and cool falls into some all-too-familiar patterns. That doesn’t totally ruin everything, but it does push things dangerously close to the edge.
Things start with Drasa (Taylor-Joy), who we watch perform a superhuman feat of murder. Next, we meet Levi (Teller), an ex-military man recruited for a dangerous solo mission. Through Levi, we learn about the rules of the gorge, its mythology, and everything the job of protecting it entails. It’s a lot of information to digest but it’s all so fascinating, we’re okay with the exposition. One of the main rules, though, is that you do not interact with your counterpart on the other side of the gorge. Which, one night, is exactly what ends up happening.
So while The Gorge begins as a captivating, mysterious, military action film, things then slowly move into romantic waters. Levi and Drasa, separated by this massive hole in the Earth, communicate exclusively with notepads and binoculars. And, despite the distance, they continue to find ways to keep themselves entertained. As a result, we’re entertained too, constantly surprised and delighted by all the ways these two trained killers open themselves up to one another.
When we’re learning about these characters and becoming invested in their relationship, The Gorge clicks. The fact that it’s giving us humor and romance against this giant sci-fi canvas just feels right. Then things take a turn and it happens almost out of nowhere. A series of events take place and Levi falls into the gorge, with Drasa quickly following. This, of course, is exactly what the audience wants. To see what’s in the gorge and finally get some answers, but that’s also where The Gorge loses its way.
Once Drasa and Levi come together and explore the gorge itself, the movie kind of fizzles. Revelations and encounters feel more familiar than not and with each answer to a question we’ve been asking, we can almost see the film’s writer, Zach Dean, reverting to a tried and true playbook. Everything—from what’s in the gorge to its overall purpose—has been done a million times. That’s not to say there aren’t some fun action scenes and satisfying narrative swings, there are, but none are ever as interesting as the film has set up that they could have been.
By the end of The Gorge, it’s a film that you’ll like more than you don’t, but still feel a little let down by. Teller and Taylor-Joy each bring their A-list A-games to the project, infusing their roles with plenty of charisma, style, and emotion. The film’s sets, visual effects, and production design are all awesome and the music, by Oscar-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, really helps amp up the tension and emotion.
Nevertheless, once you know what’s in the Gorge and what the film is ultimately saying, you can’t help but shrug. It’s a film that’s got everything going for it, especially at the start, but ever so gently fumbles its potential. We like it, but nowhere near as much as we should have.
The Gorge is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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