The Gorge : Scott Derrickson's recent action horror flick entertains unlike many others of the same genre
Highly trained operatives from different parts of the world Levi Kane (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) find themselves in a tussle with the unknown when they take up a job in a part of a world that is hidden from plain sight. Their job is to guard the western and eastern fronts respectively across a massive gorge and ensure that whatever is inside does not find its way out into the human world.
The gorge in question is big and deep and looks very much like Lily Phillips's fanny after the 1000 men challenge and also has an eerie appeal to it which is also similar to Ms Phillips's "nether region". Anyway so we are introduced to these two characters who happen to be elite snipers from different parts of the world; Levi who is from the US and Drasa who is Lithuanian but works for the Russians.
So Levi, a former US Marine and now a private contractor is assigned this new task which requires him to fly out to this undisclosed location for about a year during which he will have no contact with the outside world and to ensure its effectiveness they even confiscate his cellphone. Now I don't know what they were paying him to take up that offer but I bet it was a lucrative deal otherwise no person in their right mind would take up such a job.
Bartholomew giving Levi his brief before the job
Moreover the lady who assigns him the job Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver) seems shady as hell. I am already having doubts about her from the moment she comes on screen and second guessing this contract. I am swaying my head side to side like "Don't do it, don't freaking do it Levi" but obviously my voice can't break through the screen.
So Levi finally arrives at the "secret" location and its not an easy place to travel to. The dude literally has to parachute down thousands of feet and then climb steep mountains and walk for eternity to reach the base. Once there he is greeted by the about to be former watchdog Jasper Drake nicknamed JD (a former British Royal Marine) who gives him a tour of his new office,
So JD pretty much lays it down for our boy Levi. He gives him a basic rundown of the place and how things work around here, about how the weapons have to be armed and all to safeguard the location. Most importantly how the "cloakers" work and how it keeps the place hidden from public view. If this cloaker is somehow destroyed it will activate a 'failsafe' causing a nuclear detonation that will wipeout the area. So basically don't fuck with that and you are good.
JD is obviously happy to have human interaction after such a long time. Moreover his service time is over and now he is free to go back among civilization which has invariably peaked his spirits. His extraction has also arrived in the form of a helicopter. You know something is about go down right now because the scene has shifted to JD being airlifted by the hovercraft when he is not even the main character.
Poor JD gets shot and thrown like a used toy
And your worries become a reality when the man in the chopper who is supposed to escort him back shoots him point blank after confirming his identity as if he had refused to work without a salary increment. Not only that but the bastard in the chopper even cuts off the man's cables and throws him off in the forest from around 500 feet. Absolute savages I tell you. Told you Levi you shouldn't have taken this assignment but you had to didn't you ? So you pretty much get the gist as to what would happen to Levi once his term has ended.
So now you know that this company really isn't upto no good and their "severance package" basically cuts you off from the physical world. But our hero Levi is unaware of all this. Meanwhile he notices the black haired femme fatale Drasa on the other end. Although strongly advised to not engage in conversation with the other guard he does so after Drasa breaks protocol on her birthday.
Levi talking with Drasa through notes
The two converse via writing from their sides of the border and eventually get close. So much so that one day Levi leaves his side of the border unpatrolled and travels to Drasa's. The two spend some time together , eat, sing , dance, have sex and profess their love for each other. Oh how sweet ! But tragedy strikes on Levi's way back as he falls into the Gorge.
Drasa jumps in the Gorge to help Levi
Now Drasa isn't the kind to leave her new boyfriend to die in the Gorge and she jumps right in to rescue him. Now that's true love right there. So she jumps right in with her parachute. The bottom of the gorge looks like a world you see through a sepia lens, It's yellow and cloudy and there is no sign of life. It's like a mixture of yellow fever and jaundice wrapped together.
The Mutated Humanoids
But that's not all this gorge holds. The real devil lurks in the shadows and those are the Groot looking humanoids who they refer to as the "Hollow Men". Probably a direct descendant of the Green Knight itself who look to hunt and kill anybody who gets in their way. After battling these anomalies they come across an abandoned research facility where they finally uncover the truth behind these abominations.
Yep the earthquake really screwed it up
Long story short an earthquake caused a leak in this bioweapons research lab leading to a cross mutation among the plants, humans and insects on land. As a result the two parties involved (the West and the East) have stopped their operations and now it is under maintenance of an organization called the DarkLake who are still collecting samples to create a formula for generating super-soldiers.
Hence the hush-hush situation. So our Heroes know what's at stake. There is a huge risk of contamination as well as these alien looking creatures carry radiation particles and if even a handful of these unfriendly Groots get out there will be chaos. In such a situation the right thing to do would be blow this place up to smithereens. After collecting this important piece of information they make their way out of the hell hole but not before neutralizing over a hundred disfigured humans.
"Yep these two are surely screwing me over"- Bartholomew
But hold up, the fact that they have infiltrated this location is detected by Bartholomew and her cronies courtesy of a hidden camera installed in the computer system. Goddamn it ! And now they are onto them. But Bartholomew if you think you are smart you are wrong as our protagonists are one step ahead of you in every possible way.
As soon as they see the choppers approaching they lovebirds put their carefully devised plan into action. Drasa and Levi abandon their respective positions and run to take vantage. Bartholomew sends in her drones after them after realizing that Levi has left his post and gone AWOL, to hunt the pair down. After a cat and mouse chase and heavy firing the duo manage to take down the drones.
The Cloakers get destroyed by Levi and Drasa
Soon after Drasa and Levi take down the Cloakers using synchronized shots from a distance. The massive contraptions blow up triggering "Stray Dog" to come into effect immediately giving Bartholomew and his hired muscles a two minute timeframe to evacuate. With time running out the corrupt Bartho literally shits herself. She dashes to reach her chopper to head out of the impact zone.
"Get to the choppa"- Bartholomew Schwarzenegger
The chopper takes off but still they are not out of danger. Meanwhile Drasa and Levi are onto their exit route but the latter is hurt in the leg and is limping. Will he make it out before the explosion tears him apart?
The Nuke goes off tearing a hole through everything
Bartholomew's flight has reached the height but it still has not cleared the distance. Too late the explosion strikes and it turns everything to ash. It engulfs the gorge and sucks in the ground underneath and kills every last remaining source if the mutagen and humanoids trapped in the radiation filled hole. Flames fill the entire area and by the time the chopper could make it out the flames the blast takes them out putting an end to DarkLake's control and manipulation. Serves them right.
However things are not yet over. Despite Drasa finding her way out of the impact zone Levi could not as the impact of the explosion throws him into a waterfall. Drasa waits for him in a pre decided location however there is no sign of him. Knowing that he is not coming, a heartbroken Drasa leaves with Levi's memories.
Levi after coming back from the dead and finally we get a happy ending
Its been over a month since the tragic incident. Drasa has changed her profession and now works as a waitress in a bistro in France. On a side note never quite understood why people in Hollywood flicks make such drastic career changes but it helps I guess. However one day while serving her customers she sees a familiar face smiling to her from across the table. Spoiler Alert: I don't think I need to tell you all who that smiling face belongs to. Yes it is Levi himself in the flesh. Drasa is obviously shocked and overjoyed to see him. The two two embrace and that is where our movie ends on a happy note.
Thankfully there were no casualties this time around however everyone isn't that lucky. So the moral of the story here is its better safe than sorry. If any job looks dubious and doesn't seem right just say "NO" no matter how much they pay you. More so if it is on an abandoned stretch or isolated land without any network connectivity. Cause you might lose your life and limb in the process or even end up with missing organs. Always remember "prevention is better than cure".
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