Review of The Mountain Between Us (2017) by Greg C — 06 Oct 2017

2017's adventure drama "The Mountain Between Us" (PG-13, 1:43) takes place mostly in the High Uintas Wilderness (and, yes, I spelled that correctly), where most visitors have very different experiences than those in this movie. This officially-designated wilderness area can be found in northeastern Utah - but unlike the movie's protagonists, most people who go there do so voluntarily. There are hiking trails throughout the region, but they're hard to find in a snow storm... and not very pleasant to navigate without proper equipment. The High Uintas includes parts of the Ashley National Forest and the Uintas-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, which include deep woods, beautiful lakes and tall mountains, sights which people marvel at... that is, unless they think they're going to die up there.

Ben Bass and Alex Martin have a problem... and they're about to have a whole bunch of problems. Ben (Golden Globe winner Idris Elba) is a world-class neurosurgeon from London on his way to Baltimore for an emergency brain operation. Alex (Oscar winner Kate Winslet) is a photojournalist who is on her way to Denver for her wedding to a guy named Mark (Dermot Mulroney). Their immediate shared problem is that an incoming storm has led to cancelled flights, leaving Ben and Alex stranded and desperate in the Salt Lake City airport. Alex overhears Ben talking to an airline ticket agent, introduces herself to Ben and offers to share a possible solution to her problem with him. She has contacted a private pilot named Walter (Golden Globe winner Beau Bridges) who operates a small plane out of the airport and she has arranged to pay him to fly her to Denver. She lets Ben tag along and soon enough the four of them (counting Walter's trusty dog) are up, up and away. If only Walter hadn't neglected to file a flight plan, and hadn't flown right towards the fast-moving storm... and hadn't had a medical episode mid-flight.

The small plane crashes high in the High Uintas Wilderness. Walter is killed. His dog survives, however, as do Ben and Alex. Ben has only minor injuries, but Alex's leg is badly hurt and she doesn't regain consciousness for 36 hours. Ben does everything he can to put them in a position to be rescued and he and Alex put their heads together to figure out how to survive until then. As the hours turn into days and hope of rescue dims, the two begin to argue about the best course of action. Ben believes their best chance is to stay put and wait until they are found. Alex believes that their only chance is to try to make it down the mountain and hike out of the wilderness. She wants to trust her gut. Ben wants to play it safe. Alex has very little chance to make it on her own, but Ben can't bring herself to leave her and he knows that traversing this wilderness with her in tow would slow him down. As they work through their disagreements, brave the dangers of being without proper shelter in the winter and alternate between hope and hopelessness, Alex tries to get to know Ben as a person, Ben tries to control a situation that is out of his control and they both struggle with how to handle their growing feelings towards each other.

"The Mountain Between Us" is an improbable but engaging story. Adapting the 2011 novel of the same name by Charles Martin, screenwriters J. Mills Goodloe ("Everything, Everything", "The Age of Adaline", "The Best of Me") and (Oscar nominee) Chris Weitz ("Rogue One", "Cinderella", "About a Boy") indulge in some far-fetched situations, but give us plenty of action, peril, twists and two characters who develop a very strong emotional bond. Israeli director and Independent Spirit Award winner Hany Abu-Assad (2005's "Paradise Now") gives us beautiful sights, interesting visuals and paces the film well, but allows the third act to get unnecessarily awkward. Elba and Winslet give us predictably excellent performances, but they've both been better in other projects. This one works well as a survival story and fairly well as a character study and a romance. It all comes together in an entertaining, but unspectacular film. "B".