Fantastic Fest 2011: ‘A Lonely Place To Die’ a relentless, action-packed, gripping crime thriller
A Lonely Place To Die
Directed by Julian Gilbey
Screenplay by Will Gilbey and Julian Gilbey
2011, UK
A Lonely Place To Die might just be the best action film of 2011, a relentless, action packed, hard-edged, gripping crime thriller. Think of it as a hybrid of the Most Dangerous Game and Cliffhanger. Melissa George (30 Days of Night, Turistas), top form here, tears up the screen with her vigorous physicality and her character’s determination to survive.
Director Julian Gilbey took the initiative to become an avid mountain climber in order to shoot the film as he wished. He and cinematographer Ali Asad avoid any use of CGI and instead rely solely on their actors and crew to do all stunts. In fact stunt doubles were avoided at all cost unless absolutely required. The film’s first half, set entirely on the Scottish cliffsides, features some nerve-racking and breathtaking stunt work as the characters suspend thousands of feet above ground. Cameras are positioned in what seems like impossible angles in and around the climbers, offering up some terrifying and nail-biting point-of-views. More importantly unlike too many action films released these days, we the audience have a clear understanding of the action taking place onscreen. The cinematography is stunning – vibrant in colour and seasoned with stunning aerial shots of the alluring Scottish highlands.
With very little downtime, A Lonely Place To Die offers one of the most thrilling and suspenseful nature chase sequences in recent memory, aided by vertigo-inducing thrills, underwater camera views along the roaring rapids, and long tracking shots across the thick forests. Every frame of this film is in service to retching up the tension and suspense. The opening scene alone is so agonizing audience members will dig their fingers while gripping the armrests on their seats.
For all of its technical accomplishment, A Lonely Place to Die does suffer from a bizarre climax that feels tacked on simply to rack up an an unnecessarily high body count. Luckily, Gilbey infuses those last moments with some twisted imagery by staging these events in the midst of a pagan parade in the streets of a small Scottish town.
Despite some awkward exchanges, clichéd villains and minor contrivances, A Lonely Place To Die is a no-nonsense survivalist’s tale that that offers some welcome narrative surprises and an intelligent game of cat-and-mouse, complete with a ton of carnage and one strong woman.
Ricky D
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FantsticFest runs from September 22nd – 29th – visit their official website.
Ricky D is the editor-in-chief of Sound on Sight and one of the hosts of the Sound On Sight podcast and the Sordid Cinema podcast. He is Sound On Sight's expert on Horror and contributes written reviews when time permits. 
Great non-stop action thriller! I’ve seen some good movies at PFF20 this past week but ALPTD would not have been on my radar if I hadn’t listened to the SOS podcast. Definitely a good find and worthwhile watching. I’m still thinking about this one.
Took your recommendation and got a ticket to see this at the Philadelphia Film Fest late night on 10/22. Can’t wait!
Okay, it’s on my list…despite the bizarre climax, awkward exchanges, cliched villains & minor contrivances:) I’m always open to a good thriller.