The Last Great Wilderness (2002)
Charlie's wife has left him for a successful pop star, and he wants revenge. He sets out for Scotland's Isle of Skye, where he will burn down the star's mansion. In a cafe, he meets Vincente, a Spaniard who asks him for a ride. With his new friend in tow, Charlie soldiers on, only to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. They walk to the nearest residence--where they are greeted by a suspicious and motley group of people who may or may not be part of a bizarre cult that lives in the area. Charlie and Vincente will be staying longer then they expected, and it is going to be a strange visit!
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It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
I've given this 9 out of 10 because I was quite transfixed by the story and the characters. It is essentially a road movie with a hint of The Wicker Man, though this is not a midsummer tale; bleak winter highland shots are well used. At times it is almost whimsical and it's not the most consistent of movies. However the atmosphere never lets up and the denouement may surprise you. If I was asked to award marks for technical proficiency it would get about six but, hey, that didn't stop The Blair Witch Project from being successful! The cast were great,especially the chap playing Vicente who was intense and explosive. I constantly had the wrong idea about the characters in this movie and that was refreshing.
I bought an ex-rental copy of this as an impulse buy after reading about the soundtrack, which features several indie favourites (Pastels, Eugene Kelly, Jarvis Cocker, etc.), and having expected just a bit of fun - "Straw Dogs meets The Wicker Man", as it said on the case - I was very pleasantly surprised. In many ways it acts as the antithesis of both those films; at first it seems like a surefire Wicker Man ripoff, before defying all expectations, and rather than take Straw Dogs' hoary "you must take up arms and taste blood to be a real man" shtick, it offers quite the opposite.Is it a scary film? Not really, and if that's what you're expecting, as "Donald Darko" was, then you'll be disappointed. Rather it's a unique, atmospheric film full of new ideas concerning gender and sexuality, as Charlie begins his journey from a cuckolded man desperate to violently reassert his masculinity to discovering a new way of doing so when he gets into the lodge. Admittedly, I had just read Carol Clover's "Men, Women & Chainsaws" when I first saw this, so all the symbolism as regards castration anxiety seemed quiet obvious, but this is a film that stands up to repeated viewings and offers new insights every time you see it. I'm not going to pretend I understand all of it yet - Vincente's arc still eludes me - but this is one of the reasons to keep coming back to it.Again, if you're expecting "Dog Soldiers", this film isn't for you. But in short, what is right about it: cracking dialogue; beautiful DV photography by Simon Dennis; one of the most tender, erotic love scenes in years; the butterfly symbolism; ace performances; a lovely soundtrack... oh hell, you get the idea. Ignore Philip French's snotty review - this is great modern, refreshing low-budget British film-making, and if there's any justice in the world, it will find its audience in time.Conclusion - rather than being a predictable, violent thrill-ride, TLGW is possibly the most intelligent, subtextually rich British horror film since Don't Look Now. Seek it out now!
What? A British movie without any diamond Mockney geezers or slumming luvvie thesps? A British movie that dares to tell an interesting and for the most part unpredictable story about - gasp - recognisable, likeable characters? Is it a ghost movie? Is it a thriller? Is it STRAW DOGS? Is it THE WICKER MAN? No - it's something else, is what it is - most of all, a throwback to the days when the British film industry (quiet at the back there, stop sniggering) could make quirky, intelligent, movies that exemplified style and originality, not just an excuse to pollute the screen with stereotyped by-the-yard Britflick blah. Danny Boyle did it with 28 DAYS LATER, and this film does it too - check it out. As Joe Bob would say.
I thought this movie was excellent in every way. I didn't find it a one-actor movie at all. Although it focused a bit on Charlie, Vince and all the characters in the lodge were just as important. I thought all the actors did a great job. (I've not seen Monarch of the Glen, but I want to now!) Wonderful movie...wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Hopefully at least a few people outside of Edinburgh will see it! :)