The Mountain Between Us

The Mountain Between Us

Starring Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Dermot Mulroney, Beau Bridges

Directed by Hany Abu-Assad

The Story:
Desperate for a flight home for her wedding, photojournalist Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) hires a small private pilot (Beau Bridges) to fly her home after all main flights are canceled due to inclement weather.  She overhears Dr. Ben Bass (Idris Elba) demanding a flight home so he can perform surgery, and invites the stranger on the flight with her.  Walter, the pilot, didn't register a flight plan, and suffers a stroke mid-flight.  The plane crashes on the mountains, and Ben and Alex are forced to work together and find a way to survive.

The Synopsis:
While the film features Oscar winner Kate Winslet and Golden Globe winner Idris Elba; while the film is a harrowing tale of survival against all odds; while the film showcases the most beautiful - if not deadly - terrain...it's got something certain missing, and I can't exactly pinpoint what that is.

Kate Winslet and Idris Elba give commanding performances as two strangers who are forced to survive impossible odds.  They both steal the screen and their characters are compelling and relatable, for the most part (I can't really personally identify with a neurosurgeon, but Elba tries his best).  Interestingly enough, Winslet and Elba weren't the first two leads chosen for this film, and neither were they the second.  Originally, it was supposed to be Michael Fassbender and Margot Robbie, but Fassbender dropped out with Robbie leaving soon after.  Then the roles went to Charlie Hunnam and Rosemund Pike, but they too departed before shooting began, so Kate Winslet and Idris Elba were then cast.  It's fascinating to wonder why it took them so long to cast such A-list actors (especially over lesser-A list actors Hunnam and Pike), but that's for them to figure out.

Personally, I hate flying and heights in general, so the plane crash was the most stressful part for me.  I felt like I was on the plane with them (as I do in any airplane movie where it crashes), and it stressed me out, but after the crash, it became a quest for survival as Ben and Alex realize they're stuck on a mountaintop, with no means of communication, and no one around for miles and miles.  For lesser people, they'd consider it game, set and match and end it right there, but for these two strong-willed people, they see it as a challenge that they could accomplish.

The landscape is harsh and unforgiving, but also eerily beautiful and ethereal.  The crystal white show blankets everything, and when the sun shines against it, it looks stunning.  When the blizzards hit, it does so with such ferocity it seems almost impossible to get past.  Director Hany Abu-Assad performs a great service to the audience in showing how seemingly impossible it would be to survive such a trek.

Yet, despite all these things going for it, there was something missing.  Something that could've made the film great, and not just a mediocre story that'll be forgotten soon after it ends.  What is that one thing?  I'm not entirely sure, but I can give a few negatives that might shed some light on why the film wasn't as powerful as it should have been.

First, although Winslet and Elba are at the top of their game, their chemistry is lackluster at best.  There's such a thing as irony, but when you multiply it exponentially, it instead becomes an obvious plot point for plot point's sake.  Alex is a no-nonsense, go-with-your-gut girl who desires to take risks and thinks with her heart.  Ben is a strict, by-the-book guy who thinks remaining at the wreckage is the best idea because it's the most obvious means of rescue.  It's like Felix and Oscar ("The Odd Couple," for the few of you who don't know) went on a hiking trip in the middle of winter.  These two characters couldn't be more opposite, and those opposites are plainly given throughout the film.  Maybe if it wasn't shoved down our throats every two minutes, it might've been overlooked.

Second, it's so ironic (dontcha think?) that, out of anyone Alex could've picked to go with her, she goes with the neurosurgeon who has medical training.  So when the plane crashes and Alex gets hurt, Ben is right there to bandage her up and make things all right.  If she had brought an auto mechanic with her instead, she'd be in a heap load of trouble. 

Third, when the pilot tells them that he didn't register a flight plan before they left, I would've made sure he not only made one, but would be there talking to the airport along with him to make sure if anything went wrong they'd be able to find them.  Instead, they just shrug it off like it's no big deal.  Maybe it's because flying scares me to death, but I'd want to make sure there would be someone out there knowing where I'd be at.  Then again, it wouldn't have been much of a movie if they knew, because they'd be rescued in a few hours.

Fourth is the love story they try to develop between Ben and Alex.  Sure, it's the typical "we're the last people on Earth" scenario, but couldn't they just be two strangers forced to work together to survive, and not develop romantic feelings for each other?  Maybe it's impossible, I don't know - I have never been in that type of situation.  Still, this love story seems forced and unnecessary, and detracts from the seriousness of the film.

So maybe its those negatives that made the film just a so-so venture.  Who knows?  All I know is that I'm already forgetting things that happened in it, and I just saw it.

The Summary:
Despite the strong pairing of Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, "The Mountain Between Us" becomes an avalanche of cliches and forced characterizations that detracts from the important aspects of the film and results in an average survival story.

The Score: B