GONE

Young Scottish student Alex (Shaun Evans, SPARKLE) arrives at Sydney, intending to bus it to Byron to meet his girlfriend Sophie (Yvonne Strzechowski, THE PLEX). Their plan is to backpack across Australia together.

But Alex misses the last bus and calls Sophie to tell her he'll have to find somewhere in Sydney to stay overnight. Cue Taylor (Scott Mechlowicz, MEAN CREEK), an American traveller who turns up out of the blue with a girl on each arm, offering Alex somewhere to stay for the night. All Alex has to do is entertain one of the girls while Taylor makes his move on the other.

The following morning Alex wakes up in the arms of one of the girls. Taylor takes a polaroid photograph of him in this compromising position, then offers to give Alex a lift so far on his travels.

When Taylor learns that Alex is meeting his girlfriend, he offers to escort him all the way. Alex reluctantly agrees, aware that Taylor knows he has cheated on her the night before.

Upon hitching up with Sophie, Alex is further put out when Taylor appears to hit it off with her friend Ingrid (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith, CACTUS) and suggests all four of them should travel together. Outnumbered, Alex has to agree to travel with the increasingly annoying Taylor.

When Ingrid goes missing, Alex and Sophie put it down to her typical rude behaviour, and continue their camping trek with Taylor. Alex, however, starts to notice the way Taylor looks longingly at his girlfriend.

As Taylor begins to taunt Alex with the possibility of showing Sophie his incriminating polaroid, and - more offensively - never seems to put his hand in his pocket when they're at a bar, the young couple start making frequent polite attempts to tell the American they've decided to go the rest of the journey alone.

But Taylor (or Jamie, as one drunken Scottish woman in a pub aggressively refers to him, recognizing him from a disastrous Thailand trip a couple of years earlier) is thick-skinned and manipulative, convincing Alex that Sophie is falling for the yank's charms.

It's unfair to go any further - the film crawls along with Alex having an uneasy feeling towards his new friend, yet being unable of producing any evidence to make Sophie feel the same way. Taylor, as far as she is concerned, is perfectly charming. But, inevitably, dark times lie ahead for this trio ...

Ringan Ledwidge's directorial debut is a sure-handed slowburning thriller, measured in pace and more concerned with exploring it's characters' quirks, foibles and weaknesses than it is in exploiting the trashier excesses of the modern horror cycle.

But this restrained nature helps the suspense build slowly, as we're allowed time to believe in Sophie and Alex's two-year relationship, to doubt Alex's suspicions toward Taylor and learn enough to empathise to a degree with all three protagonists.

Some reviews have compared this deft handling of suspense with Hitchcock, which while being a very bold statement is not far off the mark. Claude Chabrol sprung to my mind as I watched GONE - the way his films unfold slowly, convincingly drawing you into a world where nothing much happens, and yet an impending sense of danger gradually seeps in subconsciously. Kudos to Ledwidge for achieving (and maintaining) this atmosphere.

Of course, the performances help tremendously here. Evans and the beautiful Strzechowski carry the film as the believable couple. Mechlowicz has a tougher job to do and while it's commendable that he avoids the wild-eyed "psycho" performance he could have so easily resorted to, he comes across as slightly less convincing. And not scary.

The other big plus point for GONE is it's lush outdoor cinematography. The Australian outback is given maximum exposure here, the camera soaking up the sun-bleached deserts and golden horizons at every opportunity.

Of course, it's a cert that people will draw comparisons between GONE and WOLF CREEK. But to compare the two is unfair: GONE is much more reserved and qualifies as a low-key thriller right up until it's ill-advised go-for-broke finale, while WOLF CREEK was a dull (but equally nice to look at) overhyped horror with a cartoonish villain.

I know which one I prefer.

GONE is presented uncut in it's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and is enhanced for 16x9 TV sets. The transfer is stunning - pin sharp and vibrant, offering full justice to that gorgeous cinematography.

English and Hungarian audio tracks are available, both in 5.1 mixes. I concentrated - obviously - on the English one, which provided a perfectly balanced, clear and solid mix.

Subtitles are optional in several languages, including English.

Static menus include a scene-selection menu offering access to the main feature via 20 chapters.

Bonus features are limited to a Making Of documentary, and a handful of deleted scenes. Both come with optional subtitles.

The Making Of documentary is an excellent 29-minute featurette including retrospective interviews with cast and crew members, rehearsal footage and some revealing looks at the film's shoot too. Recommended viewing.

The deleted scenes - 8 minutes' worth - are less vital, offering alternate and extended takes and precious little else.

GONE surprised me. In a market saturated with mediocre teen horror movies that are too excited about delivering regular doses of tame gore to even think about character development, this stands apart as a movie that strives to be something more.

Well worth checking out.

Review by Stu Willis