I love this movie! I mean, it just has so much to offer, and it does so in an intelligent, subtle, adult manner. Yet, it is also an edge of your seat thriller!
Perhaps I am dating myself here, but the commercials, when they came out, did not do this movie justice. It looked like an exciting movie, and the bear chasing men somewhere deep in the woods looked exciting enough. But this movie has so much more to offer than that. It is, ultimately, almost a spiritual movie (in a non-religious way), addressing what we have become in this modern world of ours, and how hard it is, in essence, to truly find ourselves, to keep our wits about us and keep an overall better perspective, when thrown, involuntarily, into an unfamiliar setting.
Anthony Hopkins, who I personally think is one of the most capable and talented actors out there, plays Charles Morse, a billionaire who shows a penchant for retaining obscure facts and information that he has never quite fully been able to put a full use to (something that I, admittedly, can kind of relate to on some levels), takes a trip with an entourage to a very remote locale in North America somewhere (we have to figure that it is either in Alaska or northern Canada, somewhere, judging by the nordic remoteness, and the snow capped mountain range). This entourage includes his wife, Mickey (played by model Elle Macpherson) , Charles's assistant Robert (Bob) Green (played by Alec Baldwin), and Stephen (played by Harold Perrineau, who you might recognize from the latter two Matrix movies, and he was also on a few episodes of Lost).
We do not know precisely what business they are in, but we do know that Bob Green is trying to get the perfect photograph. It is during one of his photo shoots with Mickey (Charles's supermodel wife), that we first essentially learn that she is having an affair with Bob. Charles notices, too, perhaps for the first time, but perhaps not. One way or the other, he knows, but says nothing. Robert is, in fact, having a somewhat difficult and stressful trip, however. It is Charles's birthday, and it clearly bothers him to see Charles and Mickey close together. Also, he has come to get the perfect picture, but the person that he specifically wanted to take pictures of has grown severely sick. When Bob comes across a picture that Styles, the backwoodsman host at the remote cabin lodge where the group is staying, has taken a picture of a local Native American, Jack Hawk (played by Gordon Tootoosis), who seems to have the right look that Bob is looking for in a picture. Bob instinctively decides to go after this mysterious man.
It proves a fateful decision, because when they go up to Jack Hawk's cabin, they find it deserted, but with a note attached, saying that he is out hunting up by Big Bass Lake, about twenty miles north of the cabin. They decide to go looking for him, and that is when a flock of birds winds up flying right into the airplane, and they crash into a lake. the pilot is killed in the crash, while Bob, Stephen, and Charles all survive. Bob has taken the note with him, so there really is no way that anyone would necessarily know that the men are actually twenty miles further north than their last stated destination.
Bob and Stephen went on the plane trip because they were looking for the perfect picture with the native, but Charles has decided to go, rather instinctively (and passively) himself for another reason: to get away from the cabin, and specifically the host, Styles. Styles, played quite well by L.O. Jones) seems to be quite knowledgeable about the wilderness himself. Styles comments on how pretty Charles's wife is, but keeps his thoughts to himself, just essentially noticing it (and hinting, perhaps, at the obvious age difference between husband and wife). When Styles hears that Charles is supposed to be quite knowledge of facts, he challenges him. he takes down an oar that is hanging, which shows a panther, and asks Charles what is on the other side. Charles calmly responds that it is a rabbit, smoking a pipe - a sign that he is unafraid, because he knows that he is smarter than the panther. Styles is impressed each time he finds out how much knowledge Charles actually has and, at one point, begins to talk to him about the possibility of developing the area, in order to try and make this beautiful, but extremely remote location more readily accessible for more people to be able to enjoy. Charles is listening to all of this patiently, wordlessly, until Styles mentions a specific dollar amount, when he stops the conversation, understanding that Styles is trying to make some sort of business proposal, obviously aware of Charles's money. There is now clear tension between the two men, and that proves to be the reason that Charles goes on the fateful plane trip. We get the sense that he just wanted to clear his head a little bit. As it turns out, he gets much more than he bargained for.
So, the three men are out in the middle of a very remote wilderness. They have to try and keep warm (they crashed into a northern lake and had to swim their way out), and build a fire. They have difficulty with it, though, and that is the first time we notice a real difference between Bob and Charles. Bob takes the flares that Charles had the foresight of taking from the plane. It lights the fire that warms them, but in the process, they minimized the chances of using them in order to be found by the inevitable search party.
Charles mentions to Bob at one point that the main reason that people die when they get lost in the woods is due to shame, and says that they forgot to do the one thing that could have saved them - thinking.
As the movie goes on, we find a lot of such differences between Bob, who is not used to the woods and thinks only instinctively, looking for any and all comforts that he can (including the comfort of wanting to indulge in hopes of some miraculous return), and Charles, who constantly, relentlessly focuses on the possible worst case scenario and tries to remain prepared for all manner of possible challenges, although he remains optimistic that they will, in fact, walk out of the woods, and back to safety.
They begin their hike back southwards, assuming that they will find their way, hopefully, back to the Jack Hawk's cabin. It is not an easy hike, and along the way, they get chased by a huge bear (played by Bart the Bear), who goes after them relentlessly. They manage to escape, at least this time, and they continue their hike. But when they arrive at the exact location where they had been when they started the hike, they are all disheartened. Charles remains cool, but the other two are showing signs of not just frustration, but nearly panic. Charles gives Stephen a task to do, in order to get his mind off things. He makes him carve a spear, and it is here that Stephen accidentally cuts himself quite severely. Charles tries to attend to the wound, and tears off the blood stained cloth of the pants, handing it to Bob to bury. But Bob hangs it up on a tree branch instead, and the bear smells it in the air and finds them, attacking Stephen and killing him.
Suddenly, the stakes seems very high.
Charles and Bob make their escape, and continue their venture. But before long, they find out that the bear is still following them, essentially stalking them. It is then that Charles knows that they will have to have a confrontation with the bear, a struggle to the death, either for the bear, or for one or both of the men. He prepares, although they are starving, and really still just look for something, some kind of a break that never comes. Help, to be found at last, or even just to finally eat something to restore their strength. maybe a bit of rest.
***Spoiler alert***
Of course, the confrontation is inevitable. The bear comes, and we see just how big of a beast he is. He is huge, enormous, and simply overwhelming. It hardly seems possible that even two grown men with sticks could prevail.
Yet, that is what happens. Charles, having read the book, knows to try and coax the bear and get it to loom over him, then to use it's enormous weight against it once it comes down, in effect impaling it.
Now, they can finally eat as well as stay warm considerably more easily, and can likely traverse through those woods and return to civilization.
Finally, they reach an old, abandoned cabin. It has a boat and some oars, and once they test it out, they know that they have gotten through, and will likely return to the lives that they had known before.
But it is then that Bob, seemingly overly preoccupied with drinking and loading the gun. We see him brooding, and preparing himself to do what he does not want to do.
Charles, in the meantime, has anticipated this. We notice him spotting the deadfall outside, and then, when the two men walk outside in order for Bob to do the deed, Charles rather slyly directs Bob right next to the deadfall, and gets him to engage in conversation, asking him how long the affair with his wife has been going on.
Bob, already nervous and emotionally charged, trying to prepare himself to actually commit an act of murder, just wants to get this whole thing over with. He looks and sounds unstable, while Charles, in facing death, sounds calm and almost conversational. There comes a point when he actually starts to approach Bob, which startles Bob enough that he takes a step back - and in the process, falls right into the deadfall.
His leg has been impaled by one of the sharp sticks on the bottom. The situation has obviously now completely reversed, with Charles in complete control and alive, while Bob, has sustained a serious injury and has now been rendered completely helpless. Charles has a choice, and he makes it quickly. He decides to save Bob.
It takes some doing, but again, Charles remains calm throughout. Bob seems to be wavering in and out of consciousness, and he is clearly not healthy any longer.
Charles managed to do the best that he can with him, and manages, nonetheless, to get him out and onto the kayak. Equipped with a boat, he intends to take the boat and find safety.
They find themselves on an island, essentially seemingly taking a rest. Charles has figured that Bob really needs to warm up, because he is in really rough shape. So, he builds him a fire on the island to keep him warm. Bob, in the meantime, begins to question Charles, questions why he would save a man who had intended to murder him. Bob finally apologizes for what he did, and seems on the verge of giving up, of expiring.
Just then, there is the whirring of a distant engine, but it is so faint, that Charles cannot be sure if he heard it right. When he hears it more distinctly, and more importantly, when it actually comes into view, Charles does everything that he can to signal it, wave it down. But it seems not to see them, so Charles quickly uses the knife that Bob gave him as a gift to cut some plants in order to create smoke, and once he does this, the plane finally sees them, and circles around towards their direction.
They are saved, and Charles is ecstatic - until he looks over at Bob, and sees that he is in a very awkward position, face down. He has died indeed, and surely of shame, much like Charles had warned him about at the beginning of their wilderness adventure.
When returned finally to the safety of the camp, Charles once again turns to Styles, and asks him the question that Styles asked of him not long before. Why is the rabbit unafraid? Because he is smarter than the panther. Styles gives him a knowing smile.
The media assembled all want anything, any small statement or scrap for stories for the publications back home. Charles mentions how life's tests never seem to come at the time or in the form that you expect them.
When asked how the other men died, Charles tears up, and says that they died saving Charles's own life.
In conclusion, this is a really awesome movie! It is one of those strange movies that I simply cannot get enough of. Nary a year will pass without me somehow putting it on to watch yet again, and I always enjoy it, even though I know exactly what will happen, by now. But there always seems to be some small, subtle thing, perhaps even a detail, that I initially missed. When a movie keeps you interested enough to pay attention to such small details, you know it's good!
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