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DVD Harm’s Way
 Run time: 82 min Rating: 5.5 Genres: Thriller Director: Melanie Orr Writers: William Bell Stars: Kathleen Quinlan, Ingrid Kavelaars, Hannah Lochner |
| Storyline Darlene and her daughter Victoria seek refuge at a remote rural safe house for abused women that’s run by the strict and tough, but folksy and supportive Bea. Things turn sour when Bea proves to be a total lunatic with an especially dangerous influence on the impressionable Victoria. Written by Woodyanders |
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| Plot Keywords: bound and gagged, chained, barn, abused woman, abduction | |
| Details: Country: Canada Release Date: 12 May 2010 (Argentina) |
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DVD Harm’s Way
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This brilliant, suspenseful little thriller will surprise even the most jaded movie buff. With a fairly original (albeit predictable) plot, great special FX and some mighty terrific acting, the director of this one did a fantastic job and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this fast paced, edgy drama. While some will probably compare it to a "Lifetime for Women" TV movie, there were enough thrills and gratuitous violence to keep me entertained throughout the film. Kathleen Quinlan really went over the top in her role of a psychotic farm woman and reminded me of Kathy Bates in "Misery". The setting was quite creepy and the soundtrack, lighting and camera work were superb. Check it out! 8 stars.
Weak and vulnerable Darlene (a spot-on portrayal by Ingrid Kavelaars) and her sweet daughter Victoria (a fine and affecting performance by Hannah Lochner) seek refuge at an isolated rural safe house for abused women that's run by the strict and tough, but folksy and supportive Bea (splendidly played by Kathleen Quinlan). Things get dicey when Bea proves to be a total lunatic with an especially dangerous influence on the impressionable Victoria. Director Melanie Orr and screenwriter William Bell eschew cheap scares and excessive graphic gore to instead put a welcome and refreshing emphasis on the well-drawn characters and a quietly sinister atmosphere that becomes more increasingly creepy and unnerving as the story unfolds towards a chilling surprise conclusion which packs a powerful emotional punch right to the gut. Better still, the plot itself is firmly grounded in a thoroughly plausible everyday reality which in turn makes this picture even more potent and unsettling. Moreover, there's a disturbing and provocative subtext on female empowerment that's taken to a certain brutal, yet still logical extreme. The excellent acting from the top-notch cast rates as another significant asset: Quinlan is genuinely scary as one seriously crazy and twisted lady, Kavelaars and Lochner are equally impressive in their demanding roles, and David Sparrow contributes an engaging turn as amiable deputy Hallam. The crisp cinematography by Marcus Elliott and Brendan Steacy gives the film a bright sparkling look that neatly contrasts the grim subject matter. The spare and moody score by Eric Cadesky and Nick Dyer is subtle and effective without ever becoming obtrusive. Well worth seeing.
What Harm's Way is missing is consistency. Some scenes were executed exceptionally well, leaving the viewer on the edge of their seat, while others left me contemplating turning off the television to do laundry. The soundtrack to the film is one of it's major saving graces. In addition to superb the casting of Victoria ( Hannah Lochner ) and Bea ( Kathleen Quinlan ). Both actresses shone in their leading roles. What was disappointing was Ingrid Kavelaars' performance. She has proved herself to be a talented actress, however in this film, she fell a bit short from my expectations. What made the film unbearable to a certain point was the performance of Matty ( played by an actress named Claudia Wit). Wit's performance was astoundingly atrocious, over-done without any ounce of passion. Wit's minor role in the film affected it majorly, and not in a good way. Overall, the film was mediocre at best.
…of veteran Kathleen "Apollo 13" Quinlan, Ingrid "Living in Your Car" Kavelaars, and a notably effective youngster, Hannah "Dawn of the Dead" Lochner, this Canadian production mostly made me yearn for a more tightly drawn script from its tyro writer. The premise is interesting: a seemingly benign woman who offers safe haven to abused women turns out to be a bit more "concerned" than expected, but the execution is somewhat flat, and suffers the usual plot-hole problems that stories like this one almost invariably have. I won't belabor them beyond mentioning that disposing of corpses by feeding them to local predators isn't likely to remain undetected in the long run, never mind oblivious policemen.
At any rate, for a script supervisor, Melanie Orr shows promise as a director, and I hope she continues to pursue her craft; she just needs better material to sink her teeth into. "Harm's Way" is a nice calling card, and not a complete waste of viewing time, but could have been so much better. I'm unsurprised this went straight to video, but glad that I managed to catch up to it, despite its weaknesses. If you're not a fan of any of the actresses, however, it's pretty much dispensable.