The Gorge review – Ravine-crossed lovers

At this point, home viewers have every right to feel dubious about straight-to-streaming action romances. You know the drill by now. An Ordinary Joe or Jane discovers their partner is a secret agent; sometimes both halves of the couple are spies or superheroes, or whatever. At best, these movies are a forgettable popcorn flick; at worst they’re a braincell-killing trial to sit through.

Fortunately, The Gorge, which was the high-profile Valentine’s Day addition to Apple TV+, is one of the former. And, arguably, this mix of action, romance, survival thriller, science fiction and horror, manages to roll credits as something more than just passable thanks to a couple of factors.

It starts with the casting. With Sigourney Weaver in an immediately attention-grabbing supporting role, The Gorge is unusually stripped down and focused on its two leads due to its narrative structure. Two accomplished snipers – US Marine Levi Kane (Miles Teller) and Lithuanian operative Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) – accept year-long postings on either side of a remote, mist-shrouded gorge. Cut off from the rest of the world, they have one mission, like their dozens of predecessors: stop anything that climbs out of the gulley. They’re also not supposed to communicate with their counterpart on the other side, but that rule is soon broken, leading to a constant series of exchanges facilitated by white boards, art pads, binoculars and the occasional bullet to make a competitive point.

The Gorge is strongest in its first two acts, and it’s less to do with the mysteries of its titular geographic feature and more about the developing relationship between Levi and Drasa. The characters are likeable figures, and they’re portrayed by actors who can convincingly shift between laid-back charm and military efficiency in a heartbeat. The Gorge is also appreciably more show than tell, unafraid of long stretches without voiced dialogue. As an audience it’s easy to rally behind the couple, and honestly, if the film had just been an unorthodox romance between, say, two tower-bound fire watchers, still played by Teller and Taylor-Joy, it probably would have been as enjoyable.

For the record, Scott Derrickson is the man behind the camera for The Gorge. With The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and The Black Phone under his belt, along with the original Doctor Strange, the filmmaker continues his trend of unsettling tales anchored by stretches of screen time spent solely focused on the main characters and their emotional drives.

The Gorge isn’t allowed to stay in that mode, of course. Eventually, Levi and Drasa have to deal first hand with the secrets of the ravine that divides them, and it’s here that the film becomes as wobbly and frayed as an old zipline abandoned to the elements. Things are fine to begin with as our heroes are plunged into a visually interesting world that is aesthetically as much Annihilation as Stranger Things, with a touch of new video game Avowed. Speaking of video games, in its second half The Gorge demonstrates a similar energy to a third person shooter, although again that’s not really a problem.

The bigger issue is that from the moment Levi and Drasa enter the chasm, they are simply caught up in the action, hurrying between points literally and figuratively as plot holes open around them. The couple also doesn’t ever feel particularly in peril, in the sense that their love story could end in tragedy. There’s no “Will they make it, or won’t they?” vacillation, raising the emotional stakes, meaning that the film just sort of ends without provoking any deeper, satisfying response from the viewer.

Poetry is a big part of The Gorge – its creature danger is named in reference to a T.S. Eliot poem – and Levi is yet another in a long line of soldier poets, but ultimately the film doesn’t aspire to anything more stirring with its central relationship after a leisurely set-up. Still, despite a limp conclusion, The Gorge has done enough to leave a favourable impression. The earnestness and sincerity of its stars translates to the project as a whole, and that means a lot when compared to its typically flippant and superficial Netflix cousins.

The Gorge is on Apple TV+, having premiered on the streaming service on 14 February.