2020-2029, Film Review

Send Help (2026)

Posted on February 15, 2026March 19, 2026 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Raimi Productions and 20th Century Studios**

Send Help – Film Review

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Dennis Haysbert

Director: Sam Raimi

Synopsis: Two employees become stranded on a desert island after being the sole survivors of a deadly plane crash…

Review: Navigating the world of work can feel like a lottery. If fortune smiles upon you, you might hit the jackpot and land a job that you truly love, surrounded by a fantastic team that brings laughter and camaraderie as you go about your tasks. Furthermore, you may have a boss who genuinely supports your growth, helping you harness your potential. However, some may find themselves stuck in a gruelling daily grind, trapped in a thankless role under the thumb of an overbearing manager for a company that does not value them in the slightest. Now, imagine flipping that script entirely: what if the employee suddenly found themselves in charge during a harrowing, life-or-death scenario? This intriguing setup sets the stage for a gripping survival story brought to life by the visionary master of horror Sam Raimi.

Linda Liddle (McAdams) is a diligent strategist at an unnamed Fortune 500 financial management company. She is good at her job, but is not always aware of her unkempt appearance and her socially awkward mannerisms, which alienate her colleagues and her new boss, Bradley Preston (O’Brien). Linda is expecting a promotion, but is left furious when this opportunity is awarded to one of Bradley’s frat buddies. To add insult to injury, Bradley seeks to humiliate Linda further by demoting her to a dead-end role, but not before taking her on an overseas business trip to help close an important deal. However, the plane suffers a catastrophic failure en route and crashes into the sea, with only Linda and an injured Bradley as the sole survivors. With no immediate hope of rescue, the two must put aside their differences and fight to survive. However, the ace up Linda’s sleeve is that she once auditioned for the game show Survivor and possesses the skills to help them both survive.

After a nine-year hiatus from directing, Sam Raimi pushed the boundaries to the limit by pushing the Marvel Cinematic Universe into its first big-screen foray into the realm of horror. Alas, such are the confines of the MCU, it held him back and prevented him from venturing deep into the realm of brutal and bloody horror that helped him to make his name in the 80s with the Evil Dead trilogy and latterly 2009’s Drag Me to Hell. Absolutely no such restrictions are holding him back here, enabling him to play in the endless sandpit of a desert island, where you never know what may be lurking in the terrain and resources to stay alive are few and far between.

Gone is the office environment where the boss sits at the top of the corporate pyramid, looking down on their employees with complete and total authority. Such a power dynamic where biases, corporate misogyny and sexism can go unchecked simply does not hold water on a remote island where civilisation is far off into the distance and no amount of money, power, and control can change your circumstances. Damien Shannon and Mark Swift’s script is a delightful and entertaining examination of this upended power dynamic. Imagine if Cast Away and Triangle of Sadness were combined into one big melting pot (minus the yelling at volleyballs in the case of the former) with an extra side of “eat the rich” and Raimi’s signature gore. This is the delicious and bloody outcome.

Having worked together on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Raimi was eager to reteam with Rachel McAdams, and it is easy to see why. Her performance is simply sensational and might just be a career-best. At first glance, it might seem a bit of a stretch for such a charismatic actor to play a socially inept and dishevelled loner who lives with her pet bird, but McAdams leans into it and completely owns it. Like a superhero, when they wash up on that island, off go the glasses and suddenly the Linda we know is gone. In her place is someone who is ready to take charge, and she will not stand for any nonsense from the man who, on paper, is her boss.

But a new location means new rules. It is delightful to see the role reversal, with O’Brien equally brilliant as the smug, pompous, and utterly full-of-himself CEO who has immense difficulty accepting the fact that the power he once wielded over this woman has been swept away. Though when you’re as entitled as he is, that is not something he will give up without a fight. The ensuing power struggle is utterly riveting and leaves you wondering how far these two will go to assert their authority over the other. You might root for her to begin with, given the fact that he is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, but Linda pushes this to its absolute limits. In typical Raimi fashion, there are some particularly gory scenes, and one dark, ominous moment in particular that will likely have at least 50% of the audience squirming with nervousness and dread.

Having two souls engaged in a psychological battle, on an island with a finite amount of space and resources, runs the risk of getting a bit stale. However, thanks to Raimi’s exciting and lively direction, Bill Pope’s lush cinematography, and the charismatic performances, any lapses in the film’s pacing are momentary and not enough to completely skew its momentum. With a $40m budget, perhaps this was stretched too thin, as certain elements of the CGI left a bit to be desired and could have been spruced up. Nevertheless, the film meets all the key performance indicators and is a perfect illustration of why bosses and company executives everywhere would be wise never to belittle or diminish their employees. You just never know when you might need their expertise to get out of a tricky life-or-death situation.

A deliciously grisly and bloody tale of a business excursion gone wrong, with committed performances from Dylan O’Brien and especially Rachel McAdams, ensures this is a thrilling return to form for Sam Raimi.

2020-2029, Film Review

The Long Walk (2025)

Posted on September 22, 2025October 26, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The Long Walk – Film Review

Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Joshua Odjick, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill

Director: Francis Lawrence

Synopsis: In a dystopian United States, 50 teenage boys must walk until only one is left standing…

Review: Throughout the long history of the United States, the notion of the country descending into a nightmarish hellscape ruled by an authoritarian regime should not feel relevant in modern times. Yet, given its current leader and the state of the world in general, it remains an all-too-familiar reality. A 1979 novel written by the one and only Stephen King (under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) feels more pertinent than ever, given the hellish state of the country today. In Francis Lawrence, a director who knows a thing or two about helming multiple films set in a dystopian US devastated by civil war, having directed all but one of the films in The Hunger Games franchise. A franchise which also featured brutal contests where participants fought for survival until only one remained, there couldn’t be a more apt director to translate a depressingly relevant visualisation of the US to the big screen.

Set in an alternate 20^th century, in an attempt to inspire patriotism and imbue a work ethic among its citizens amid a severe economic downturn, the brutal totalitarian military regime in charge of the country set up an annual competition known as The Long Walk. 50 teenage boys, one from each state, are selected to compete. The rules are simple: they must walk for hundreds of miles across an open road at a pace of three miles per hour until there is only one competitor left standing. Any competitor who falls below that pace is given three warnings to get back up to speed. If they fail to do so after the third warning, they will have their “ticket punched” by the armed soldiers patrolling the route, with a bullet.

Four dozen impoverished souls walking for miles across nothing but flat terrain, occasionally breaking through the sparse pockets of civilisation, could quickly become tedious and monotonous. However, over 108 utterly absorbing and tense minutes, JT Mollner’s screenplay keeps the proceedings moving swiftly and remains intensely gripping by focusing on these young men, pushed into this dangerous and gruelling trek, as they cling to the hope of being the victor. In a contest where the winner will claim a substantial cash prize and the chance to have one wish granted, it seems unlikely that any bonds will form among the walkers. Yet, this is precisely what makes the film so compelling. Some choose to form alliances, while others resort to antagonistic tactics. As the miles pass and day turns into night, then into the next day, the sound of gunfire as numerous competitors are eliminated shocks those remaining into continuing to put one foot in front of the other. It never once loses momentum.

Such is the strong brotherhood that forms between a handful of these young men, it wouldn’t nearly be as impactful if it were not for excellent performances across the board. As the central protagonist, Cooper Hoffman’s Ray Garraty is motivated to partake in the walk due to deeply personal circumstances. The bond he forms, particularly with David Jonsson’s Peter McVries, is the relationship that drives the film forward. Jonsson, once again proving what a phenomenal talent he is, exudes charisma and determination even in the face of such gruelling and unforgiving circumstances that the other boys, including Ben Wang’s Hank, Charlie Plummer’s Gary and Garrett Wareing’s Billy, rally around him. The boys are also united by their burning hatred for the callous Major, an extremely effective villainous performance by Mark Hamill, channelling the ruthlessness and gruffness of Full Metal Jacket’s Sergeant Hartman.

Having been somewhat held back by the constraints of The Hunger Games franchise in portraying the violence of the games, Lawrence faces no such restrictions here. The manner in which those who fall behind and, for whatever reason, be it injury, a need to relieve themselves, or just plain exhaustion, do not get back up to speed is unflinching and brutally violent. It is uncompromising in the depiction of a regime which will not hesitate to use military violence and intimidation to keep people in line, an ominous parallel to the 21st-century America, where the so-called leader of the free world has demonstrated his desire to deploy military force against his own people.

While the film could have offered more context about the war that led to the fall of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism, it also could have done without such an abrupt and rushed ending. Nevertheless, the relevance of this story, first written by King nearly 50 years ago, strikes a powerful chord in today’s political climate. It serves as a vital reminder that, even in the face of brutal authoritarian rule, humanity must persist, continue, and fight on, even if you have walked for hundreds of miles, and the temptation to give up may be overwhelming.

Bolstered by a pair of gripping performances from Hoffman and Jonsson, The Long Walk is a tense and powerful tale of the human spirit and the necessary struggle to take a stand in the fight against oppression and authoritarianism.

2020-2029, Film Review

Fall (2022)

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Lionsgate and Signature Entertainment**

Fall – Film Review

Cast: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Mason Gooding, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Director: Scott Mann

Synopsis: Two friends find themselves stranded atop a 2,000ft tall radio tower…

Review: As human beings going about our day-to-day lives, we are accustomed to having our feet on terra firma for most of the time. However, there are those daredevils out there who love to be adventurous/out of their minds (delete where appropriate), and climb exceedingly tall structures all in the name of thrill-seeking and adventure. Such individuals form the basis for this simple, but undeniably extremely tense and nerve-shredding thriller which is exhilarating and positively terrifying for those who are utterly terrified of heights.

Becky (Currey) and Hunter (Gardner) are two best friends who love to go rock climbing. On one particular day, they are out climbing a mountain one day, with Becky’s husband Dan (Gooding), when tragedy strikes. Fast forward nearly a year, and Becky’s life has spiralled where she is in a deep depression and battling alcoholism. Upon encouragement from Hunter, the two of them set out to climb the 2,000 ft B67 TV tower in the middle of nowhere, so the two can rediscover their passion for adventure and enable Becky can finally move on from the tragic events one year prior. The adventure goes to plan when the two of them are, for a brief moment, on top of the world for a brief moment. However, as they begin to make their descent, disaster strikes as the ladder they used to climb up breaks apart, leaving them stranded atop the tower, with no way down and with very little in the way of supplies.

To put it into perspective, standing at 2,000ft, the B67 TV tower would be the fourth tallest building in the world behind only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Merdeka 118 in Malaysia and the Shanghai Tower, which is all sorts of terrifying. While the actors were not actually at such extraordinarily unnerving heights, the decision by the filmmakers to shoot on a practical location in the California desert, and construct the upper part of the tower on top of a mountain, is extremely effective as it adds a great of authenticity to the suspense. Mann’s direction, with the vertiginous cinematography and a very effective score, all combine to sell the peril of their situation and are guaranteed to make anyone sweat profusely with anxiety as the horror of the situation unfolds as these two battle the elements, and more, in their bid to stay alive.

The script by Mann and Jonathan Frank wastes little time establishing the core events which prompt Becky and Hunter to make this perilous ascent up to the top of this abandoned TV tower. To make matters worse for them, the platform at the top of the tower is exceedingly narrow, giving Becky and Hunter little room for manoeuvre as they must find a way to ensure they avoid that terrifying 2,000 ft drop back down to earth and alert the authorities to their plight. While the script does veer a bit into the overly dramatic with some of the dialogue between the two of them, it serves to develop the relationship between them, and the performances of both Currey and Gardner remain strong as the desperation of their plight means drastic action may well have to be taken sooner or later.

The seemingly hopeless nature of these two poor souls’ plight enables Mann to keep the audience on their toes throughout the film’s 97-minute run time, while retaining the nail-biting tension. Yet by the time it reaches the culmination of the third act, the ending does feel a little bit rushed. However, it is a refreshingly original and extremely effective tale of survival in the most perilous circumstances. By the time the credits begin to roll, and your heart rate has returned to normal, you may be eternally thankful you’ve got those two feet on the ground and will almost certainly have no plans to scale such heights now, or at any point in the future.