Film: High Lane
Release date: 17th May 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 81 mins
Director: Abel Ferry
Starring: Fanny Valette, Johan Libéreau, Raphaël Lenglet, Nicolas Giraud, Maud Wyler
Genre: Action/Adventure/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France
From the beginning of High Lane, it’s clear there is no new ground being broken. This is very much genre fare, but it is a periodically exhilarating thrill ride none-the-less.
The story is simple: five attractive young French twenty-something’s go climbing in a remote part of Croatia. The path they are climbing is dangerous and closed off to visitors, but they continue anyway, and, as they do, they inevitably fall foul of various elements. You will recognise each and every character here: the member of the group who puts them in peril, the jealous boyfriend, and the ex-boyfriend who still has feelings for the central character.
When their environment turns against them, the group’s members then turn on each other. At this point, the body count starts to rise. Is there someone or something stalking them as they climb?
The storyline and actual plot devices are borrowed wholesale from other obvious films in this genre, and viewers will recognise elements from Deliverance to The Descent and everything in between, but none of that really matters. High Lane isn’t The White Ribbon. It’s good at what it does, and from the get go, you are sucked into the world surrounding the five beautiful soon-to-be victims.
Johan Liberau is perfect as Loic, the jealous, weedy boyfriend, who is struck by vertigo during the climb. He is a sickly presence who will garner your sympathy while all the time leaving alarm bells ringing. Nicolas Giraud is also bang on the money as Fred, the heroic expedition leader who is all testosterone and big hair, but who stupidly puts everyone right in the brown stuff.
The star of the film is the insanely attractive Fanny Valette, a woman who looks so beautiful she could only have been made in some secret Parisian bunker by scientists splicing the genes of Juliet Binoche and Emannuel Beart. She is a truly disconcerting screen presence, and her turn as Chloe is the glue which holds the film together.
The sub plot involving Loic, Chloe and Guillaume (Raphael Lenglet) drives the first part of the film and hints at endless possibilities, because there is genuine tension during this first section as the characters embark on their climb. As we get a close look at Loic’s character falling apart, we are treated to some stunningly nauseating views as the camera wildly pan’s into the glorious ravines of Risjnak National Park. The camera shakes and shudders its way from Loic’s face to his feet, encapsulating the huge expanses below, as Loic rapidly descends into horrible height sickness. At this point, High Lane is a stomach churning visual treat! Lots of interesting questions are asked; will Loic lose it completely and kill them all? Is Guillaume a secret psycho ala Billy Zane in Dead Calm? Will Fred’s hair cause him to lose his grip on the mountain? Or sanity?
Unfortunately, High Lane doesn’t go anywhere surprising at all, but it never loses sight of what it is, and the film offers a couple of moments in the final third which, if not really surprising, are at least mildly unexpected. That’s not a contradiction, it’s just that so many parts of High Lane are borrowed from other movies the film will actually keep you guessing as to which film will be borrowed from next. Think of it like a genre horror version of Date Movie or Scary Movie, where instead of scenes being spoofed for laughs they are being spoofed for scares.
The film is beautifully shot throughout; the climbing scenes at the beginning and the rope walkway set piece are glorious. And from the opening scenes in the car until the start of the climb, director Abel Ferry establishes all the individual characters and sub plots. This is no mean feat as the viewer is delivered wholesale into the first part of the film with characters established and ready to begin the journey. The set up really is nicely done and the tension during the first 45 minutes is ramped up to 11 with brilliant use of pacing and visuals, and some decent performances as well.
High Lane is well crafted but lacking substance, stylish but unoriginal. The pace is kept high and there are a decent scattering of jumps throughout the final third, but it’s letdown by genre-standard rehashing. SM
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