Knock on Wood

Lots of great films have been made from spec scripts that have appeared on the Black List, including Arrival, Whiplash, Little Miss Sunshine, and Challengers. It’s the world’s premier survey that can serve as an indicator of which screenplays might soon explode into the industry, and which writers have the potential to break into the big leagues. Sometimes, what’s on the page translates beautifully on-screen, and sometimes (perhaps even more often) the strength of the writing is diminished by a fundamental misunderstanding of priorities in the finished product.

This brings me to The Gorge. A selection from the 2020 Black List survey, the film has a fantastic, simple premise: two mercenaries are assigned to guard towers on either end of a mysterious, sinister (titular) gorge, and begin a forbidden line of communication that comes to threaten not only their existence, but that of the entire world. Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Furiosa) star in the lead roles, and the film is essentially a two-hander; apart from a few scenes with Sigourney Weaver and Sope Dirisu, they are the only two characters. But the problem with following two stoic, jaded assassins for over two hours is that, by their very nature, they are unknowable. They are people who have built their careers upon a lack of emotion and connection, and while the conceit of putting them into a romantic genre film could be an endeavor to dismantle expectations and tropes that stories with characters like these perpetuate, the film doesn’t seem interested in that. Instead, as their love story unfolds, they make the leap to smitten teenagers practically overnight, all while maintaining their established demeanors. It’s a clash that doesn’t quite work, but I’ll give the film points for effort. Teller and Taylor-Joy are trying their best, but I don’t blame them. You can tell this movie was made by someone who is deeply and truly in love, because when the film begins to move on from baseline cute moments, their chemistry just doesn’t cut it.

The Gorge isn’t just a romance, though; it’s also a high-concept sci-fi action movie, with some horror (director Scott Derrickson’s specialty) thrown in there for good measure. To explain exactly where the genre elements come in would be to give away one of the central twists, and even though the film is not necessarily predicated on the efficacy of those twists, I wouldn’t want to ruin any of the fun. Because that’s what The Gorge is – it’s fun. It’s a genre picture seeking to satisfy as many audience quadrants as possible, and there’s a lot to love throughout. As I’ve said before, I think our moviegoing culture would be infinitely healthier if we embraced the inherent fun in the communal experience. Alas, in the age of the internet, that’s not the way things go.

Of course, as I’ve alluded to, this is not a film without issues. Apart from my dissatisfaction with the general characterization of our two leads, the film is quite messy, and struggles with its priorities. It’s not sure which of its many genres to lead with, and so we end up with a mishmash that I enjoy the parts of more than the whole. Derrickson’s work has felt more confident when a) he’s working with a script he co-authored with C. Robert Cargill, and b) the film decidedly commits to a genre and/or tone. My heart melted watching Teller’s Levi and Taylor-Joy’s Drasa fall in love, but that love story barely gets a chance to shine before we get an extended action sequence that pulls us straight into a sci-fi-heavy expositional dump, revealing the true nature of their situation. It’s like the film was made in 20-minute chunks, and while they work very well on their own, I had difficulty connecting with the big picture.

The Gorge has that same slick, straight-to-streaming look that many of us have come to despise in the past few years, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t entertainment to be found. There’s plenty of action and excitement – and yes, romance – but mileage will vary depending on how lenient you are about the logistics of a movie like this. As the title of my previous website states, I’m as lenient as they come, and I will say that I found a great time in The Gorge. It’s perhaps not the best pick for a cuddly Valentine’s Day date movie, unless you’re in the mood for straight dopamine. Forget consistent pacing, or character depth…that’s the focus. Just straight dopamine.

The Gorge premieres on Apple TV+ tomorrow, February 14.