Release Date: March 20, 2012 Rating: NR Running Time: 99 minutes

A group of mountaineers make a grim discovery in the Scottish Highlands: an eight-year-old girl trapped amid the peaks, terrified, dehydrated and unable to speak a word of English. Alison (Melissa George, Grey’s Anatomy, 30 Days of Night, Mulholland Drive), the group leader, and her fellow hikers and climbers try to take the girl to safety. But they become involved in an elaborate kidnapping plot and soon must fight for their lives as they’re pursued by both the girl’s kidnappers and a group of mercenaries hired to return the girl to her war criminal father. With danger all around them and mountainous terrain to navigate, Alison and her party are in for a grueling ordeal in order to save both the girl and themselves.

A LONELY PLACE TO DIE, which showcases heart-pounding climbs up sheer mountain faces, won Best Action Film, Best Cinematography and Most Thrilling Film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Writer-director Julian Gilbey’s film is “a deeply satisfying entertainment filled with energy and made with savvy and cinematic wit” (Shawn Levy, The Oregonian).

A Lonely Place To Die was not exactly what I was expecting or hoping for but it wasn’t dissatisfying either. The film takes off without much tension but quickly picks up the pace as the chase begins and element of danger comes alive in full force. If you’re not a fan of violence that can get a bit gory, this is not the film for you. The violence is senseless and unforgivable and the worse part is that we never do find out what the cause of the kidnapping and violence was for. It’s a sad story within itself but also because it brings up one perfect example of why people are so hesitant to help those in life or death situations.

A Lonely Place To Die is wildly thrilling but the jumbled ending may not make the film worth watching for some. There was actually a point in the film when a fellow viewer and I thought that the film was ending and felt that after the film actually did end, that place would have been a much more satisfying place to conclude the story. But once you’re in for the ride, even if you want to turn away, you won’t be able to. The cinematography sucks you in at the very beginning and the action grips you until the very end.

And even though I am always more satisfied with stories that have characters with actual depth, I found the urgency in these individuals fighting for their lives to be enough. Imagine my surprise. What’s more gripping than the fight for survival? If you can handle the grittiness of this thriller and you don’t mind spending the time watching this film which had a great idea but may not have exactly used its potential to the fullest in all aspects of story and character development… I am not going to recommend this film but you feel free to give A Lonely Place To Die a chance if you really feel the need to do so.

There are no Bonus Features on the DVD.

Own A Lonely Place To Die on Blu-Ray and DVD today.