A Lonely Place To Die

This taut, twisty pursuit thriller from director/co-writer Julian Gilbey (‘Rise of the Footsoldier’) makes terrific use of the stark beauty of the Scottish Highlands and is tightly roped together by Melissa George’s (pictured) lead performance as feisty mountaineer Alison. High in the remote mountains, team leader Ed (Ed Speelers) and his small group of climbers hear faint cries and find an air pipe sticking up from the ground. Digging, they find a weak eight-year-old girl, whose speech they cannot understand. Using a precipitous short-cut, the more experienced Ed and Alison plan to take the girl to the nearest village. But close behind are the two ruthless, army-trained kidnappers (Sean Harris and Eamonn Walker) and on the horizon is the kidnapped girl’s father, ex-Serbian warlord Darko (Karl Roden). The film’s relentless momentum, coupled with Ali Asad’s breathtaking location photography, distract us from the often two-dimensional supporting characters. It’s only when the action shifts to a pagan parade through the village’s streets that the pace slackens and the film’s icy grip loosens.