As a storm threatens to batter Orcas Island in the Pacific North West a man picks up a hitch-hiker. This is a mistake as the man is very dangerous. He is a former Green Beret. He is also the husband of Hannah and father of her daughter Vee who live on the island. Vee thinks her father is away searching for treasure; Hannah believes he is dead. When he gets to their home he kidnaps Vee. Unable to contact the authorities Hannah goes to her neighbour, Lou Adell. Lou offers to help and together the two head off into the woods to find Vee. Hannah has no idea that Lou has certain skills that will be very useful in the hours to come. As the story progresses they will face various dangers and secrets will be revealed.
I thought this was a pretty solid thriller. The basic premise may not be that original but it is effective at delivering the necessary thrills. Choosing to set the story in the mid-eighties was a good choice as it was able to tie in with certain events and provided a good excuse for lack of communications... besides once the action has moved into the woods the year it was set barely matters. There are some good tense moments and the action is quite gritty at times, in one scene a character gets a knife through the hand. While our eponymous protagonist is tough there isn't a sense that she can't be harmed as is so often the case in such films. The setting is impressive with nearby Vancouver Island standing in for Orcas Island, which is part of Washington State. The acting is solid; especially from Allison Janney who plays Lou; it was refreshing to have an older woman playing an action lead. Direction from Anna Foerster was also impressive. On the down side I could have done without a couple of the twists, they weren't that surprising and didn't add that much to the story. Overall though a decent film; not a must see but worth watching if you enjoy the genre.
I thought this was a pretty solid thriller. The basic premise may not be that original but it is effective at delivering the necessary thrills. Choosing to set the story in the mid-eighties was a good choice as it was able to tie in with certain events and provided a good excuse for lack of communications... besides once the action has moved into the woods the year it was set barely matters. There are some good tense moments and the action is quite gritty at times, in one scene a character gets a knife through the hand. While our eponymous protagonist is tough there isn't a sense that she can't be harmed as is so often the case in such films. The setting is impressive with nearby Vancouver Island standing in for Orcas Island, which is part of Washington State. The acting is solid; especially from Allison Janney who plays Lou; it was refreshing to have an older woman playing an action lead. Direction from Anna Foerster was also impressive. On the down side I could have done without a couple of the twists, they weren't that surprising and didn't add that much to the story. Overall though a decent film; not a must see but worth watching if you enjoy the genre.