Unless you are familiar with the kidnapping event the movie is based on, there are some surprises that you will not see coming. Two mountain men, a father and son, played by M. Emmet Walsh and Michael Bowen, kidnap Olympic athlete Kari Swenson, Tracy Pollan, "because they need a woman" in their Montana mountain lair. They are relentlessly pursued by a Sheriff, Joe Don Baker. The very uneven editing causes the film to constantly be cutting back and forth between the manhunt and Kari Swenson's personal demons from her ordeal. For a TV movie, this is way above average, and special mention must be made of the excellent "Philip Glass like" soundtrack. Rather than going for sensationalism, the film concentrates on character development, and it far exceeded my expectations. - MERK
4 Reviews
tense drama
mcfly-3120 July 1999
In Pollans only real leading role, she shines as the title biathelete whos kidnapped by father and son mountainmen. Held in the freezing cold for over a day, shes eventually left alone when the crazies get scared off by rescuers. After a grueling search, shes finally found and tries to rebound before heading back to the compete for the US. Theres a lot of great work here by a ton of veteran actors behind Pollan, such as Walsh, Baker, and Ronny Cox. And, man, does Sylvester Levay supply some extremely creepy music for this. You wouldnt expect something so chilling for a made for tv pic, but you get it here. His score, coupled with Pollans identification of the two guys at the police station, gripped me like crazy. Very compelling drama at work here.
Some human beings should remain in the mountains.
mark.waltz24 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Not everybody were formed like Heidi's grandfather. This true story deals with the abduction of an Olympic athlete (Tracy Pollan) and the disgusting motivations of her kidnappers. She's jogging through the mountains when she is approached by the creepy looking M. Emmet Walsh and his more idealistic but troubled son Michael Bowen. I guess it gets lonely up in them thar hills, and while Bowen seems to not like what his father is doing, he is still an accessory to the crime. Pollan's parents are worried when he doesn't return home, and Sheriff Joe Don Baker makes every conceited effort to help her. An accident ends her ordeal early, but that doesn't mean just fix her she's out of the mountains that she's out of the woods.
You get to see the tension growing between father Walsh and son Bowen, and the disgust that grows on Bowen's face does redeem him in a sense. Revelations about how he was brought up and his loneliness adds to that. This gives a tension to Baker's tracking of them, but there is also one of the tracker's claims that she brought it on herself to show a form of bigotry as well.
Sometimes with these true life stories, you feel like you're intruding in on someone's personal life, but you really root for Pollan, not only to get out of the mountains but to pull through health-wise. This tension filled TV drama will keep you gripped, and the mountain setting is an added plus, bringing beauty into an ugly situation. The episodic nature of the narrative demonstrates that just because a crisis is over doesn't mean that the story is finished.
You get to see the tension growing between father Walsh and son Bowen, and the disgust that grows on Bowen's face does redeem him in a sense. Revelations about how he was brought up and his loneliness adds to that. This gives a tension to Baker's tracking of them, but there is also one of the tracker's claims that she brought it on herself to show a form of bigotry as well.
Sometimes with these true life stories, you feel like you're intruding in on someone's personal life, but you really root for Pollan, not only to get out of the mountains but to pull through health-wise. This tension filled TV drama will keep you gripped, and the mountain setting is an added plus, bringing beauty into an ugly situation. The episodic nature of the narrative demonstrates that just because a crisis is over doesn't mean that the story is finished.
great movie!
GotCoffee12 November 2002
This movie is terrific. It does a wonderful job of telling the story of Kari Swenson's nightmarish experience. Everything fit together perfectly; the acting, the scenery, the music...there was never a dull or boring moment. It's the kind of movie that you don't stop thinking about for days afterward. I highly recommend seeing it.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
