Backcountry (2014)

Sometimes, the most effective way to appreciate a film is to arrive at it with no preconceptions. That’s my excuse for watching Backcountry, a well-regarded 2014 thriller that has now arrived under it’s new title. It took me a few minutes to realise I had seen it before, as Blackfoot Trail, however, my memory was unable to recall anything of what occurs throughout!

Written and Directed by Adam MacDonald Backcountry delivers a straightforward, no-frills survival tale. Think The Edge, but stripped of the budget and the sharp, Oscar level dialogue of a David Mamet outing. However, the lack of Mamet isn’t necessarily a bad thing here. The story focuses squarely on atmosphere, tension, and the primal fear of the wilds, and it largely succeeds.

The film leans heavily on its “based on a true story” premise, which instantly ramps up the stakes. You’re not just watching fictional characters; you’re connecting to real danger and real-life consequences. This grounding helps make the subsequent terror feel more visceral.

The plot unfolds predictably but effectively: Sarah (Missy Peregrym, a very watchable star in her own right) and Ben (Jeff Roop, a less familiar face) are hiking in the Canadian wilderness. Ben, perhaps a bit too keen to relive his youth, convinces a phone obsessed Sarah to join him on a trek he knows well, involving a specific route and the legendary Blackfoot bear that supposedly frequents the area. Along the way, they experience some initial couple drama (as one does when navigating unfamiliar trails and dwindling daylight), encounter seasoned hikers (including a memorable, if slightly cliché-ridden, encounter with an Irishman, Eric Balfour, who injects some much-needed levity and menace), and soon find themselves in genuine peril.

Backcountry throws in a few classic thriller red herrings during its build-up to the climax. We’re led to believe certain early developments, encounters, personalities, specific warnings, will inevitably play a major role later. And indeed, some do, but the question remains: which ones are significant, and which are merely smoke to distract from the core conflict? This adds a layer of psychological unease alongside the physical threat.

Visually, the film makes good use of the rugged Canadian wilderness to create a sense of isolation and claustrophobia. Whilst there are some impressive scenery, the film chooses to stay closer to our principals and only use the expansive vistas to remind the audience how dauntingly massive the area is. The journey from the initial, slightly twee romantic meet-cute (where the film briefly dips its toes into light comedy) to the grim reality of survival is handled with a decent degree of realism. The bear encounters are genuinely frightening, and the subsequent struggle for survival is tense.

My main criticism lies in the climax itself, the final 15 minutes. Having navigated the woods, seemingly just moments before the bear attacks, the escape feels rather abrupt. How exactly did they find that path, the canoe, and navigate back to safety? The explanation feels thin, almost like the movie clock was ticking down, and the film wisely chose to cut to a tidy conclusion within its 90-minute runtime. It’s a bit of a letdown after the build-up, feeling almost as if the preceding 75 minutes were setting up a premise that the ending doesn’t fully deliver on. It’s a reasonable narrative choice, perhaps, but it leaves a slight sense of anticlimax.

Despite this minor flaw, Backcountry is a solid, engaging thriller. It does what it sets out to do: create tension, build suspense, and deliver a primal fear experience. It’s not groundbreaking, nor is it particularly deep, but it’s effective entertainment. If you enjoy survival dramas like The Edge, A Lonely Place to Die, or any straightforward wilderness thriller, you’ll likely find Backcountry a decent, if ultimately forgettable, watch.

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