Fall

Directed by Scott Mann, Fall follows thrill-seekers Becky (Grace Fulton) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) as they attempt to climb a 2000 foot tower in the middle of the California desert – with problems inevitably ensuing after an unexpected mishap leaves the pair stranded at the top. It’s a compelling premise that’s employed to sporadically watchable yet ultimately disappointing effect by Mann, as the filmmaker, working from his and Jonathan Frank’s screenplay, delivers an erratically-paced endeavor that fares best in its entertaining (albeit entirely hoary) opening stretch – with, especially, the initial climbing sequence certainly as riveting and tense as one might’ve anticipated (and hoped). There’s little doubt, however, that Fall eventually progresses into a hit-and-miss midsection that’s increasingly more miss than hit, as the picture’s ludicrously overlong running time results in a spinning-its-wheels, let’s-get-on-with-it-already feel that dulls the impact of several key interludes – with the decidedly desperate bent of certain happenings, including a fairly silly third-act reveal, only highlighting the narrative’s less-than-streamlined feel. By the time the somewhat anticlimactic finale rolls around, Fall has cemented its place as a missed opportunity that does, for the most part, feel as though it should be much, much better.

** out of ****