Rating: B-
Dir: Lee Tamahori
Star: Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Bart the Bear, Harold Perrineau
I didn’t have the author of Glengarry Glen Ross as likely to show up in our review of killer bear movies. Yet here we are, with this David Mamet-scripted wilderness adventure. If you’ve seen any of his works, you’ll know his style is dialogue heavy, Wikipedia saying it’s “marked by a cynical, street-smart edge, [and] has come to be called Mamet speak.” As soon as I saw his name in the opening credits, I wondered how it would translate to an ursine stalk and swipe movie. The answer? Not badly, because the film is as much about the disintegrating relationship between billionaire businessman Charles Morse (Hopkins), and photographer Bob Green (Baldwin), as they try to survive in said wilderness.
The key to the friction is Morse’s suspicion, that Green is having an affair with his model wife, Mickey (Elle McPherson). Which makes sense, because she is basically half her husband’s age, and seeing them in bed at the beginning is a tad creepy. They’re in Alaska for a photo shoot, until a plane crash sends Morse, Green and assistant Stephen (Perrineau) off the grid and into trouble. We know Stephen is in trouble because he a) doesn’t get a last name, b) is black, and c) is not a big star. So when a large, hungry Kodiak (Bart) starts stalking the trio, it’s not hard to guess who is going to be first on the menu.
The survivors then have to overcome the increasing personal animosity in order to escape alive. It doesn’t help that Bob is basically a whiny little bitch, while Charles is far more interesting and well-rounded, although his position as a fount of wilderness knowledge is negated when he leads the group in a circle. Watching the pair of them bickering, is nowhere near as much fun as seeing them fend off their pursuer. From their first encounter, leading to a terrifying escape across a gorge, through the brutal demise of… oh, figure it out, to the final battle, these are impressive and well-handled sequences, anchored by the genuinely scary presence of the 9’7″ tall, 1,500-pound Bart. Sadly, it was close to his last film, as he died in May 2000.
This was actually a reunion between Hopkins and Bart, as they appeared together in Legends of the Fall. I’d have been fine seeing more of them, and less of Baldwin, although he’s likely necessary because Bart wasn’t very good at that Mamet speak. There’s no question, the film finds an extra gear whenever the bear shows up. Tamahori, back before his career was unfortunately derailed by… [gestures vaguely] does solid work capturing the “Alaskan” – in reality, Canadian – landscape. It’s definitely quality, above most in the field and if the lofty ambitions of Mamet’s script are not all successful, at least it has lofty ambitions. Viewers may choose to discuss after the movie, whether they would prefer to spend time with Bob, or get eaten by Bart.