Tomatometer Percentage: 89% Backcountry has been described as a sort-of 'landlocked Jaws', and the moniker is accurate. Ostensibly a man vs beast story, as self-styled outdoorsman Alex (Jeff Roop) drags his corporate-minded girlfriend Jenn (Missy Peregrym, who wisely uses this as a real showcase for her talents) into the woods for a hike. Set in Ontario's Restoule Provincial Park, the pair obviously ignore warnings from the Park Ranger that the trail they wish to traverse is closed for the season, and things only get worse from there. A run-in with the extremely-underrated Eric Balfour's Irish Brad - the accent isn't even that bad - ratchets up the tension around the campfire, until the sh*t hits the fan with the arrival of a ferocious black bear. The entire plot is framed by the fact that its lead couple are extremely incompatible, and nicely takes that concept of being stuck with someone whom you realise you don't love, or want to be with at all, for an extended period of time and ratchets it up to 11. Throw in a macho Irishman with sociopathic tendencies and an irate, hungry bear and you've got a recipe for disaster. And entertainment. The fact that writer-director Adam MacDonald strings it all together in such a concise, potent way is the cherry on top.
Cinephile since 1993, aged 4, when he saw his very first film in the cinema - Jurassic Park - which is also evidence of damn fine parenting. World champion at Six Degrees of Separation. Lender of DVDs to cheap mates. Connoisseur of Marvel Comics and its Cinematic Universe.
