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Devil's Gate
R2 - United Kingdom - Bluebell Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (10th October 2011). |
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The Film
 Back in 2001, I went to the cinema to see what I thought was going to be a relatively serious jousting movie called "A Knight's Tale", a movie which turned out to be a comedic take on the genre and a movie I have come to love. One of the better performances in the movie was a Scottish lass called Laura Fraser, who played Kate, a metalworker who had designed a new type of thin armour (hilariously with a Nike insignia). I then noticed her in Vanilla Sky and became more and more impressed with Fraser as an actress. Unfortunately, all was quiet after that and she went on to mainly star in TV-shows and I kind of forgot about her. That was, until last year when I finally saw "The Flying Scotsman", a great Scottish film about the life of cyclist Graeme Obree in which she put in a sterling performance as Graeme's wife, Anne. It is with this in mind, I went into another of her Scottish films, Devil's Gate. The synopsis from Bluebell Films reads: Rachael (Laura Fraser - A Knight's Tale, 16 Years of Alcohol) is called by ex-boyfriend Rafe (Callum Blue - Dead Like Me) who persuades her to return to the small foreboding island in the Shetland isles that she ran away from some 5 years previous. The pretense is that her father Jake (Tom Bell - The Krays, Wish You Were Here) is dying. Matt (Luke Aikman - Freight), a city boy, island hopping to take in the festival of fire, hears that she has been tricked. A love triangle forms, with Rachael, the least interested and keen to leave. Can Matt ensure her safety? Nothing is what it seems in this thriller, and no one will be the same again as the truth begins to surface in very dangerous circumstances. Stark but brilliant direction by Stuart St. Paul (Scarlet Tunic, Freight) makes this film a joy to behold. As soon as the film started, the presence of not just Fraser, but also Bell, Blue and Aikman were immediately felt. The performances from these fine British actors becomes by far the high point for this otherwise average thriller. They all suit their roles perfectly and the way they play their sometimes underdeveloped characters certainly helps carry the film through the disappointing final act. One surprise for me was the small appearance by underrated television actress Lynda Bellingham as Marlene (most will know Bellingham as Irene from "The Bill"). Another thing I loved about "Devil's Gate" was the soundtrack. The instrumental parts of the score suited the bleak locations perfectly and helped build tension in all the right moments. Choices of songs, especially REM's "Everybody Hurts" were perfectly picked and played during the right parts for the best emotional effect. Whoever was in charge of picking the music, did a great job. Unfortunately, despite the great cast and music, the film itself is a rather formulaic and mediocre affair. It starts very well in the build up and the character of Rachael is well developed, unlike Rafe and in particular Matt. One character present throughout the film, Roger Ashton-Griffifths' Eagle, is a complete waste of time and adds nothing at all to the story or to the general feel of the film... he's just an irrelevant character. Although the tension builds up nicely during the first two thirds, the final third is a complete letdown and the 'twist' was easy to spot a mile away and just didn't do anything for me. Ignoring the slight letdowns in the story and the underdeveloped characters, "Devil's Gate" is still worth your time for the soundtrack and strong performances from both the principal and supporting cast.
Video
Presented anamorphically in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, the transfer shows off the Highland locations rather well for a low budget independent feature. Although the picture could be sharper and has the odd bit of grain, the bleak colours, suitable for the locations and feel of the film come across well.
Audio
Just the one option, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The tense score is used to good effect and speaker seperation is noticeable. Volume levels are a bit inconsistant with songs overly loud compared to the instrumential parts of the score and the dialogue which was a little annoying but it's clear and, outside of the odd bit of background hiss, relatively problem free. The Dutch release seemingly has a 5.1 DTS track which would've been a nice option to have here. No subtitles are included.
Extras
The main extra on the disc is the "Making of Devil's Gate" documentary lasting a little over forty minutes. It's a very insightful look into all aspects of the production, about the choices made and how the Shetland community helped the production at every opportunity, from locations to behind-the-scenes safety measures. Mixed in with some of the behind the scenes footage are interviews with various cast and crew members including those that are often forgotten like the sound recordist. The picture quality is very mixed, a lot of it VHS grade, and the audio has a bit of ringing throughout, but everyone should look past that as this documentary is worth viewing, maybe even moreso than the feature itself. We also get a couple of minutes of deleted scenes which adds nothing to the table and a theatrical trailer.
Overall
The film starts off well but loses its way in the final act, mainly due to underdeveloped characters. The cast all put in great performances though and the music selected is perfect. Video and sound quality is fine, but could be bettered and the documentary included in the extras package is surprisingly informative. If you're a big fan of thrillers, this is worth picking up despite the feature's problems, especially at the time of writing where it is available to pre-order for just £5.99 at Amazon.
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