The Mountain Between Us, 2017.
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
Starring Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Dermot Mulroney, and Beau Bridges.
SYNOPSIS:
Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.
Survival films are always a tricky execution from a narrative standpoint, as audiences need believable and legitimately understanding reasons as to why the central characters are stranded and in peril. Otherwise, what’s left is two hours of moviegoer checking their watches, languidly dying of boredom while cheering on every death as it means the picture is one step closer to its conclusion. The Mountain Between Us (based on the novel of the same name by Charles Martin) suffers from that tragic fate; it’s not that the two strangers played by Idris Elba and Kate Winslet don’t have respectable reasons for banding together and charting a plane to each of their destinations in the wake of canceled flights thanks to a raging storm (one is a neurosurgeon set to operate on a young child while the other is a journalist set to get married the next morning), but they do make their own bed so to speak, meaning I don’t really care when they are forced to lie in it.
However, winning performances from the aforementioned leading stars slowly but surely reel us into their sympathies. It’s not exactly subtle, but there is a juxtaposition between Ben (Idris Elba) and Alex (Kate Winslet) presenting the passionate and successful doctor as a man of practicality and logistics, with Alex being the reckless risk-taker. Not long before they crash into the freezing cold (which is an unintentionally hilarious sequence with distractingly convenient writing to get characters from point A to B) surrounded by mountains are the unlikely pair bickering over whether to stay holed up inside the wreckage where they have about a weeks worth of food along with a fire made, or trek out into the unknown in search of any form of human contact. Also in the mix is a lovable Yellow Lab who proves to be rather useful although occasionally runs off, sometimes causing problems. The geography also might as well be a character, as some of the locations are truly beautiful and utilize CGI only when necessary.
Strong acting can’t really make up for how sanitized The Mountain Between Us feels for a film about preserving life amidst harsh living conditions. Maybe it’s because yesterday I watched Jungle, which stars Daniel Radcliffe and a group of Amazonian explorers stranded, which isn’t afraid to toss in some gross-out sequences and depict a more brutal side of human nature when faced with the choice of life or death. Here, there are some cuts and other minor bloody injuries (Alex requires makeshift crutches just to walk), but nothing that truly stands out at testing their will to continue perishing. Even the subzero temperatures don’t come across as a major factor, as instead, the bodies of Ben and Alex acclimatize to the conditions. Not everything has to be The Revenant, but outside the performances, the actual surviving goes through some generic motions. Outside of one frightening dance with death that sees Ben reaching into some frosty water to pull Alex’s unconscious body out after falling through the ice, it’s all rather tame.
Reason being is that The Mountain Between Us is equally focused on functioning as a competent romantic drama. After a while, it becomes clear that the phrase “opposites attract”is taking effect, with love blooming and sexual tension in the barely breathable air. To the film’s credit, it’s also done in a very reserved and understated manner, that is until the last third, which is where The Mountain Between Us falls right off a cliff, dipping down from a serviceable tale of inspirational survival into over the top, melodrama cheese. It practically becomes a different movie, taking forever to end, and when it does there’s a pop-love song by Zayn and Sia…
Some moviegoers are also going to take issue with the gender dynamics, which essentially has Ben protecting Alex and saving her from danger on multiple occasions. She’s not exactly given much to do, and even once she does have a moment to repay the favor and become Ben’s savior, it feels like a half-assed throwaway gesture. Still, her spirit to not give up and continue walking through frozen terrain on unsteady crutches is admirable in its own way.
The Mountain Between Us works when it’s accounting for how different yet understanding of each other these two warriors are, showcasing gorgeous landscapes from both ground-level and aerial viewpoints, or upping the threat level. Even so, it probably wouldn’t work at all without the talents of Idris Elba and Kate Winslet. Flaws aside, the filmmakers were onto something, and then seemingly self-sabotaged the project by dialing up the sentimental love aspects to overkill. Even if they had kept the ending sequence to a bare minimum of five minutes and not for what has to be around 15, it would have been forgivable. Hell, it might have simply flat-out worked. Anyway, unless you actively want The Mountain Between Us to sour, just leave the auditorium; you’ll know when it’s time.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, friend me on Facebook, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
Originally published September 27, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
