A lonely young woman named Beth (Aussie actress Rahda Mitchell from LOVE & OTHER CATASTROPHES, HIGH ART, and PITCH BLACK) lives in a small town in California with (literally) only five to six residents. She works days at a roadside diner and nights at a motel, both of which were left to her by her late father. A young drifter named Jack Barrett (Barry Watson of TV's 7TH HEAVEN) appears at the diner one day, a knife wound to the abdomen. He tells her that he is being chased, and, soon enough, three men (Josh Lucas, Jonathan Blick, Eryn Wilson), claiming to be surfers, show up (in a Volvo, of all cars). Jack, hiding in the kitchen, tells Beth that these are the men who are chasing him. Jack later collapses in the parking lot, and Beth decides to help him. She gives him a room at the motel, and later also gives the three surfers a room, two doors down. She soon befriends the main surfer, Peter (Lucas). Later that night, Beth takes Jack to a doctor friend of hers, Eric (Steven Ray), who can sew up Jack's wound. Meanwhile, outside, the three surfers wait outside the house in their car, silent. The next day, Eric won't answer his phone. What has happened to him? Beth finds medication in Jack's car. Who can Beth trust? The drifter Jack? The surfers? How about the local (and lone) cop Bryce (Kevin Anderson), whom Beth claims once raped her?
As far as low-budget films go, this one, written and directed by Scott Reynolds, is right on the money in most respects. There are several suspenseful scenes, from Jack hiding in the kitchen while the three surfers make small talk with Beth to Beth hiding in a gas station bathroom stall while the person who is hunting her stands outside the door, switchblade in hand. SPOILER: the best scene involves Jack and Beth hiding in the bathroom while the three surfers try to coax the two out, during which Deep Purple's "Hush" blares loudly on the jukebox.
The use of flashbacks is nice and adds suspense and, in a scene between Beth and Bryce, adds insight into the characters and their motivations. Every actor does their job with conviction, especially Mitchell, whose American accent is so dead-on I would've thought she was American if I hadn't already seen her in earlier films; Watson, who is slowly growing out of his 7TH HEAVEN persona; Anderson, as good here as he was in MILES FROM HOME; and Lucas, who keeps you guessing as to his identity until it is finally revealed. And, you wouldn't really know it unless you're familiar with the territory, but the entire film was filmed in Foxton, New Zealand! I'm from California, and I must say that the beautiful grasslands and coastline of Foxton subbed wonderfully for California, even up to the driftwood.
SPOILER: the ending at the gas station is photographed and shot beautifully with enough suspense to keep you guessing until the very end, but I could've done without the add-on after the credits. 8/10
As far as low-budget films go, this one, written and directed by Scott Reynolds, is right on the money in most respects. There are several suspenseful scenes, from Jack hiding in the kitchen while the three surfers make small talk with Beth to Beth hiding in a gas station bathroom stall while the person who is hunting her stands outside the door, switchblade in hand. SPOILER: the best scene involves Jack and Beth hiding in the bathroom while the three surfers try to coax the two out, during which Deep Purple's "Hush" blares loudly on the jukebox.
The use of flashbacks is nice and adds suspense and, in a scene between Beth and Bryce, adds insight into the characters and their motivations. Every actor does their job with conviction, especially Mitchell, whose American accent is so dead-on I would've thought she was American if I hadn't already seen her in earlier films; Watson, who is slowly growing out of his 7TH HEAVEN persona; Anderson, as good here as he was in MILES FROM HOME; and Lucas, who keeps you guessing as to his identity until it is finally revealed. And, you wouldn't really know it unless you're familiar with the territory, but the entire film was filmed in Foxton, New Zealand! I'm from California, and I must say that the beautiful grasslands and coastline of Foxton subbed wonderfully for California, even up to the driftwood.
SPOILER: the ending at the gas station is photographed and shot beautifully with enough suspense to keep you guessing until the very end, but I could've done without the add-on after the credits. 8/10