Killing Ground (2017)
Starring Aaron Pedersen, Ian Meadows, Harriett Dyer
Directed by Damien Power
I swear, for the life of me I’ll never fully comprehend why anyone (cinematically speaking) would choose to venture WAY out in the dead of the Australian wilderness to gain a little “relaxing time.” In Killing Ground from Damien Power, the question of “what in the hell was going through your mind?” Is responded to in frightening bloody fashion – if this one doesn’t keep you out of the campsites, nothing will.
Following a young couple, Ian and Sam (Meadows and Dyer), the two are on their way for some downtime in those damned-freakin’ woods, completely unaware of what awaits besides them, and it’s…another happy little family just down the lake shore, complete with child-in-tow, and as the film trucks along, a series of brutal flashbacks will lay out all the details as to just what happened to the lot of them. On the kooky-side of the fence are hunters German (Pedersen) and Chook (Aaron Glenane), one stone-faced and serious about his ways, and the other, slightly goofy but still dangerous nonetheless – two guys you don’t want to be on the opposing sides of, for sure. Now while I’d love to unfurl a widely canvassing plot that encompasses a metric-mile of information about what goes down in this film, I simply cannot – there’s really not much more here than “stalk, torment, kill.” Not that this tactic is an addled one, and although it does take a little bit of time to get going, once the developments begin to unfold before our eyes, it’ll be a rather disconcerting view for those not ready for it.
German and Chook appear to be on the hunt for nothing more than some cheap thrills and kills, and we as the audience can only buckle up and endure the ride that they’re leading us on – this is violent, unforgiving in spots, and really not the stuff you want the kiddies settling in to watch besides you. The scenery acts as a sort of antagonist, with its deeply constricting forestry choking off exit points, and leaving the parties involved stuck dead in the middle of it. Performances are what you’d expect out of a display such as this – we sympathize with the victims, and detest the bullies for what they are: opportunistic, remorseless and sadistic. Overall, this Killing Ground is the sort of brave-tourist destination that looks appealing from the outside, but once you’re in it, you too will feel what it’s like to wish you’d tossed out the tents and holed up in a 4-star hotel for the weekend.
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Film
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