"Are you down?"
“Fall” was the sleeper late summer hit of 2022. The survival thriller is not only stunning, but also mind-bending. The mega hit propelled a sequel and a trilogy.
Following the fatal fallout of “Fall,” Jax (Harriet Slater), the grieving sister of the fallen Shiloh/Hunter, has been haunted by the memories of their sisterly relationship. Shiloh was the brave one, the popular one, as seen from her massive social media followers, as well as the news, which has made her famous posthumously.
A former college friend of Shiloh, Luce (Arsema Thomas), catches up with sorrow-filled Jax. Luce persuades Jax to follow her belated sister’s footsteps and face her fears, which is to climb and walk the plank of Mount Kwan, Thailand’s most dangerous hike. This expedition is listed on Shiloh’s bucket list diary as her next daredevil adventure.
Restrained and reluctant, and rightfully so, Jax ends up joining recalcitrant and reckless Luce in Thailand. Finding the right hiking guide takes a secret code. John (Tom Brittney) is the man for the mission impossible job. John warns them of potential hallucination, headache and nausea for a plank walk at that altitude.
With the imposing Mount Kwan reaching into the clouds looming in front of her, Jax is once again hesitant, but ends up being roped into the treacherous trek up. And treacherous is putting it mildly. Death wish is more like it. The trio is illegally climbing up rusty steel ladders with loose bolts up a towering rock mountain.
Once the trio reaches up 4,000 feet above sea level, the plank walk starts – on a rickety, narrow wooden plank with a width of around a little over a foot wide plastered across the side of the mountain, built by centuries ago. There’s an equally rusty chains where the hikers can clip on and off their flimsy harnesses to move forward one step at a time, and nothing more.
The plank walk is perilous enough in a sunny, clear weather. It becomes impossibly deadly when the rain begins, crumbling rocks slide to destroy parts of the plank, leaving Jax and Luce stranded, and separated from John. Panic, paranoia, regret, fear and terror set in.
Jax and Luce try every way possible to get to the backpack, resulting in some of the most harrowing scenes captured. Extreme leaning and leaping, sliding down the broken beam, hanging on to a single structural bar, swinging between pegs, dangling for dear life – while hungry, dehydrated, exhausted, injured, desperate and scared out of their wits, not to mention a trust issue when something comes to light.
The filmmaker knows how to make vertigo-inducing scenes look and feel real. Like the "Fall" before it and "The Walk," the sensations are truly felt; I had shivers running all though my feet and hair stood at the back of my neck.
The story follows the framework from the first installment, yet a couple of twists keep the film fresh. There’s more human action in “Fall 2” than “Fall,” although the characters’ actions are head-shakingly worthy, leading to a flash point.
While focusing on the peril, you might miss a clue that sets up for “Fall 3.” The ending shows what to expect in the final installment and I’ll be anticipating with bated breath.
For both thrill seekers and the timid who love survival thrillers, “Fall 2: Deadpoint” is thrillingly death-defying, as well as a spectacular sky-high jumping point from summer to fall. Don't miss this on the big screen!
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TRIVIA: While Mount Kwan plank walk in Thailand isn't real, Mount Huashan plank walk IS real! Check this out: Huashan Plank Walk | Huashan Cliffside Path Map, Tips, Guides
