BY ROGER WATSON
The persistent and gripping trailers for The Gorge (2025) on Apple TV+ put it high on my list of films to watch. While I am not sure the film lived up to the trailers, literally cliffhangers as the film is about a gorge, this was quite an enjoyable diversion.
The film has a limited cast, most of whom play a minor role and appear so little, it is only worth focusing on the main characters around whom the action takes place. Miles Teller (cool dude playing Levi Kane) and Anya Taylor-Joy (massive eyes playing Drasa Kanaite) are two highly trained snipers who are assigned to the mission of guarding ‘the gorge’.
We are treated to the overused plot device of a highly competent retired US Army operative (Kane) being convinced, against his better judgement, to take up one final mission and to an impressive long-distance kill shot by Drasa to set the scene. I would have enjoyed a few more of those kill shots but it was not to be. Kane has a back story of guilt related to his kills which are giving him nightmares. Drasa, who is not exactly the ‘girl next door’ type, has no such qualms.
The two main characters have not met as they are on different sides of what would have once been referred to as the Iron Curtain. Neither knows the mission to which they have been assigned, and we follow Kane on his way to an unknown destination. He parachutes in and makes his way to a tower overlooking an extensive gorge. At the other side of the gorge there is an identical tower.
Kane is briefed on his mission by the incumbent whose year guarding the gorge is up. Kane’s job is to ensure that what is down in the gorge does not emerge. To that end, in addition to his own skills with a gun, he has an electrified fence and automated motion sensitive machine guns to help him. These must be checked daily.
It transpires that the other side of the gorge is guarded by the Soviets. The gorge is such a well-kept secret that even Khrushchev and Kennedy were unaware of its existence. As to what is down there in the gorge…’you don’t want to know’. Establishing contact with the other side of the gorge is strictly forbidden. And the story begins.
The plot divides here into occasional reveals about the inhabitants of the gorge and illicit communication between the two sides. As you probably guessed, Kane’s ‘oppo’ is Drasa. It does not take long for the action to begin, and the inhabitants of the gorge ascend one night to be dispatched by the combined efforts of Kane and Drasa.
The action subsides and curiosity gets the better of Kane who has a look through high-powered binoculars at the other tower only to see that his ‘assistant’ in guarding the gorge is a stunningly beautiful woman. Before long they are writing notes on cards and holding them up to each other. Kane’s curiosity turns to lust and Drasa seems to be getting a bit ‘lonely’ herself. Between them, they rig up a zip wire and it is not long before Drake’s attention turns to exploring some other gorges.
Time comes for Drake to return to his side of the gorge which is where it all goes wrong. The zip wire breaks, and he plunges into the gorge. Drasa follows by parachute and there follows close encounters with the inhabitants of the gorge who turn out to be part man part plant. They are not too friendly. Some genuine jump-out-of-your-seat moments ensue and the reason for the existence of these mutant creatures becomes clear. It’s the old chestnut of a top-secret government experiment gone wrong.
Throughout the film I was convinced that this looked very much like the first-person shooter video games that my sons used to play. Turns out, while it was not based on a specific game, it was inspired by such video games, and it shows. The shootouts with the hybrid inhabitants of the gorge are reminiscent of shootouts in zombie movies and games.
Overall, I thought The Gorge played its aces too early, the romantic entanglement added little to the plot and the inhabitants of the gorge were not that terrifying. But if there is nothing else to watch, it will shove in ninety minutes.
Roger Watson is a Registered Nurse and Editor-in-Chief of Nurse Education in Practice.