I wasn’t sure what to expect from Fall. It looks like an average thriller on the surface, but by the end, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the film is at building tension and keeping the viewer on edge. With some minor issues, this ends up being a very entertaining watch.

The movie begins with Becky, her husband Dan, and their friend Hunter rock climbing until an accident causes Dan to fall and die. Nearly a year later, Becky is still gripped by her grief -- with her father and friends seemingly unable to help her. Hunter then meets Becky to get her to join in on a trip to climb a defunct TV tower as a means for Becky to overcome her grief and move on. It doesn’t take long for the movie to get going – and the tower climb is the centerpiece of the film.

The director Scott Mann does a great job of using certain shots and sounds to sell the danger of climbing the tower. It comes off as rickety and on the verge of collapse to really build tension. There are numerous close calls that put them in mortal danger and the script does a great job of setting small things up to pay them off later. There was one revelation later in the movie that is telegraphed obviously, but there’s a great twist towards the end that’s well done.

Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner do a great job of playing off each other as Becky and Hunter. Jeffery Dean Morgan plays Becky’s dad and it’s a shame that there weren’t more scenes with him. It’s a deliberate choice to only show Becky and Hunter for the majority of the movie to push that feeling of isolation and desperation, but having Morgan’s presence on screen more often would have been nice since he’s a veteran actor.

Since I have a fear of heights, it’s likely that my experience with Fall isn’t average, but I’ll give it credit for triggering my acrophobia so effectively. The direction adds a lot more tension and sense of scale that would have made the movie just OK without it. The story and script aren’t perfect, but it’s a great example of a modern thriller – and fans of the genre will find plenty to like here.

Author Bio:

Ulises Duenas is a senior writer at Highbrow Magazine.

For Highbrow Magazine