KSL Movie Show review: ‘The Gorge’ is filled with action thrills
Feb 14, 2025, 7:00 AM
Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
SALT LAKE CITY — Before we dive into “The Gorge,” most of you are probably wondering, where is the review for “Paddington in Peru?” Well here it is. Call it bonus coverage. “Paddington in Peru” is cute, cuddly and family-friendly, although not as good as the first two, especially the second one, which was brilliant. Okay. Moving on.
“The Gorge” is one of those strange little movies that grabs you by the throat for the first half, then plunges you into the unknown in a manner that might lead esteemed philosopher Michael Keaton’s Batman to say, “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!”
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Two highly-trained and well-seasoned snipers from opposite ends of the world are chosen for a most unusual assignment. They are required to guard a fog-enshrouded gorge, one in an east tower, the other from a west location alone. They have all the food, water and ammunition they should need for a year. Radio check-ins are once a month and only to make sure they haven’t abandoned their posts.
They are flown in by helicopter, heads covered, so they have no idea where they are in the world. All they know is there is something unique down there that they must protect from outsiders—correction—there is something down there that needs to stay down there at all costs. Uh oh.
Levi (Miles Teller) is a former enlisted Marine who had become one of the top five snipers in the world. Since leaving the service, he has taken odd jobs, but this will be the oddest and comes from a top secret official Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver) ,who knows Levi has no family and would probably enjoy a year-long mountain retreat experience to relax and unwind.
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The same is offered to Lituanian-born Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) who is also one of the leading snipers in the world, as we quickly see as she greets a supposed bad guy exiting a jet in the middle of nowhere with a single shot from a gazillion yards away. She, too, is tired of all the contract killings and could use a year away on the edge of a mysterious gorge.
And even though the two cement towers are hundreds of yards away, the lonely snipers grow curious about who is on the other side. It’s Drasa who breaks the ice, holding up a sign requesting her counterpart to identify himself. He says it’s forbidden. She basically says, don’t be such a boy scout, and the two begin a conversation that turns into a genuine caring for each other—that is, until whatever is down there decides to crawl up the steep, stone walls.
Then it becomes an entirely different movie as Levi and Drasa must utilize every skill they possess to survive what’s really going on down there. To me, that second half goes a bit overboard and becomes underwhelming as the mystery unravels to a less-than-satisfying conclusion, yet if it’s action thrills you seek, “The Gorge” is filled with it. The powerful relationship between Levi and Drasa is what keeps this fresh and engaging. It reminded me of a recent Anthony Mackie movie “Elevation,” where aliens couldn’t go above 8,000 feet for some silly sci-fi reason. Both films are good; this one might be a bit better.
THE GORGE (B) Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, some suggestive material and thematic elements. Starring Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver and Sope Dirisu. Directed by Scott Derrickson (“The Black Phone” “Doctor Strange”) — filmed in Norway. Running time: 127 minutes. An Apple TV + exclusive.
The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.
