The High Frontier (2016) User Reviews

Okay thriller for TV, but we've seen it all

[gergelyh-15596 · 5/10 · 7 November 2016]

A dangerous smuggler terrorizing a snowbound family in the mountains... This is less family-oriented as, say, Avalanche 1994, in fact this is quite brutal sometimes -- and needless to say, all the old actors in this, who play Lech, Mateusz and Konrad, are infinitely better than David Hasselhoff. But basically this is an age-old story with very few surprises. The older son being gay is the only motif usually not found in such films. And they use this idea efficiently, showing that in face of a very "masculine" challenge he has to fight the low expectations of his father and brother as well.

Mostly good rhythm and excellent cinematography, but the score is simply too much, with howls, shrieks and all it would be more suitable for a horror with lots of scares. Paired with this story (which flows quietly most of the time) this agitated music raises expectations the pictures can not live up to.

A little too bleak for its own good....

[s3276169 · 5/10 · 25 September 2019]

Its hard to like a film that's essentially too drab and depressing to offer much else. The High Frontier meets this definition with a cold unfriendly landscape and even colder, unfriendlier people.

Its hard to empathise with the main characters or even take much of an interest in this by the numbers thriller. Which, of course, is a second point of failure. This has all been done before and done better at that.

On the upside, the acting is solid, no bad b grade performances here but a better tale would have helped populated with more engaging, likeable, characters you can invest in and root for.

As it stands watchable but unremarkable. 5/10 from me.

Highly recommended!

[daveelmstrom-86359 · 21 April 2017]

Seen at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival in April 2017. Very suspenseful thriller from Poland. Great acting. Highly recommended. I don't like reading reviews too much about movies, because they tend to give away too many plot twists. I would definitely advise this strategy for this movie.

Routine at best

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 30 January 2020]

THE HIGH FRONTIER is a routine Polish thriller with a familiar kind of storyline that sees a father take his sons up into the snowy mountains for a spot of familial bonding. Their lives are, however, thrown into jeopardy by the arrival of a mysterious stranger and the story develops from there. It's hard to put a finger on it, but this is one of those films which simply doesn't grab the viewer. The characters are cold and unlikeable from the very beginning which makes it impossible to get involved in their plight, while the thrills feel drawn out and too familiar from other, better movies. It's also very dark and routinely directed, which doesn't help.

Had potential but goes off the rail when stupid people do stupid things.

[ToneBalone60 · 2/10 · 23 December 2019]

Father with issues to which we aren't ever privy, takes kids to a remote mountain shack in the snow. Why? Who knows, we aren't really given that information. One of the kids also has father and masculinity issues, again why?, who knows? What we do know is that Kids are too soft with no survival training to be anywhere near the wild.

Usual wonky generator, radio to civilization stops working. Dodgy criminal turns up covered in blood with a gun. Stupid father leaves soft kids with dodgy Criminal. ? Stupid kids let criminal free from handcuffs and give him his gun back. The rest is a drawn out predictable mess where all sense and logic goes missing.