Death in the mountains: one great, one good streaming title -- A LONELY PLACE TO DIE and DEVIL'S PASS -- are more than worth a look

Mountain climbing movies have their own special appeal -- built-in suspense and fear-of-falling top the list -- so fans of this genre should be aware of two films currently available on Netflix streaming that ought to please lovers of this sub-genre, even as each succeeds quite nicely as a

"scare" movie. DEVIL'S PASS combines the climb (or at least the trudge, as there is no particular mountain involved here) with aliens, the supernatural and teleportation all jumbled up into the currently fashionable found-footage genre, with the result (if you stay the course, that is) surprisingly effective. A LONELY PLACE TO DIE -- combines some real and very exciting mountain climbing with the thriller genre (kidnap/chase variety) and comes up with one of the best and most satisfying thrillers of our new millennium.

In fact, thinking back on all the "thrillers" TrustMovies has encountered over the past few decades, A Lonely Place to Die proves the most surprising, tension-filled and entertaining since a little out-of-nowhere film called Mute Witness hit the screen back in 1995. The movie shows, in spades, what real creativity in terms of concept and execution, dialog and cinematography can bring to a genre in which, these days, many examples hit the screen practically DOA.

As usual, the less you know about plot details going-in, the more enjoyment you're bound to get from the many surprises along the way -- all of which make absolute sense (these are not twists on top of twists for the sake of effect). Director and co-writer/producer/editor Julian Gilbey gets the lion's share of praise for creating such a perfectly-paced, nail-biter of a movie, the suspense and forward thrust of which keeps increasing until the films' final couple of minutes.

While it takes maybe twenty of the 99-minute running time to kick into action, even this initial section, which sets up the mountain-climbing, as well as the characters, is very well done. Once the real plot gets under way, the suspense never lets up. The movie is well-cast, too, with every performer registering strongly and Melissa George (above) especially convincing in the lead role.

Despite a body count shockingly high, even in a genre like this one, perhaps the movie's finest touch is its introduction of the question of empathy and concern, and what caring about people, in the words of the nastiest villain, "gets you." These small moments keep the film grounded in humanity and help us watch even during some pretty grueling scenes.

Streamable (and looking quite terrific) in wide-screen high-definition via Netflix, A Lonely Way to Die is, for a number of reasons, a must-see.

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Devil's Pass, on the other hand, is more like a could-see -- maybe a should-see, if you especially enjoy this sort of shoot-as-you-go-becomes-found-footage horror movie. As directed by journeyman filmmaker Renny Harlin, it's better than most of the other near-crap in this particular and increasingly overcrowded genre due to the workmanlike professionalism present throughout.

Its story is that of a group of college kids who are intent, due to the pushing of their leader (Holly Goss, above), on replicating the climb of a group of Russian mountaineers some fifty years previous. Just why it is so important to the young woman will finally become clear -- in one doozy of an explanation -- at film's finale. If you've been paying good attention, you'll figure it all out, but probably only moments before the movie-maker himself lets his several cats out of their bag.

With the crew's video camera always on, we get much of the usual hand-held jerky camera movement and back-and-forth nattering from our group of campers, along with a very cleverly "contained" avalanche, some sex-in-the-tent, possible aliens, murder most foul, and finally teleportation and a reference to the Philadelphia Experiment.

Harlin, his writer Vikram Weet, and his capable cast make the 100 minutes (a little long for this genre) move quickly enough, and as I say, if you stick with the movie, which gets better as it moves along, you'll probably be glad you did. It's currently streamable via Netflix -- and elsewhere, too, I believe.

Philipp Stölzl's gripping and gorgeous NORTH FACE opens via Music Box

While TrustMovies tends not to place films about mountain-climbing high on his list of favorites, the new German film NORTH FACE (Nordwand) directed by Philipp Stölzl (shown below) has changed that. For now, at least. This amazing movie -- jumping off from fact -- is all about the attempted conquest of the then unclimbed north face of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland.



The film begins as a woman turns the pages of a scrap-
 book. We don't see her face, just the photos she uncovers, and then we're thrust back in time to a pair of smart and handsome young mountaineers Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann, be-
low right) and Andi Hinter-
stoisser (Florian Lukas, below left). Soon we're deep in the delights of mountain ranges, greenery, rathskel-
lers, family scenes, newspa-
per offices, romance, charm, and humor. It's like taking a swell vacation -- except that we're here in the Third Reich, with heroes who are good little Nazis.

I cannot vouch for how true it is that, because the young men were not given leave to climb (Nazi propaganda urged young German mountaineers to conquer the intransigent Eiger), they resigned from what looks like a kind of pre-military-service Hitler Youth.  But this certainly frees them from the cloud of Nazidom -- and frees us to root for them, too.

Once we're climbing up the north face of the Eiger with our German twosome, as well as two more climbers from Austria who are hellbent on being the first to reach the top, the movie becomes as gripping and suspenseful, shocking and moving as any mountain-climbing movie I've ever seen. Director Stölzl and his cinematogra-
pher Kolja Brandt have accomplished something stupendous by making us part of the climb: the elements, the nearly flat sheet of rock and ice that is the mountain's face, the sheer effort of lifting the body up and up.  No apologies to Avatar: This is the movie that put me in a place no other film has yet managed.

Part of the reason for my being put off my movies that deal mainly with mountain climbing is that, often, once we're up there, just as for the actual climbers, there's no relief or change of scene.  North Face does not make this mistake.  Granted, any movie that forces us to endure nonstop peaks and chills, falls and spills is to be commended, I guess, for realism and verité. But if you are looking for entertainment, you're going to want a break now and then.

North Face provides plenty of these, and they're all interesting and often lovely to watch, taking place as they do in a posh hotel (above) at the base of the mountain. The non-climbing scenes also bring us the history of the day: from the place of women at the time to the manner in which newspapers kowtowed to Nazi protocol. The cast includes the always-fine Ulrich Tukur (above, right, from Séraphine and The White Ribbon) and, in the role of the Kurz's enamorata, a most interesting actress named Johanna Wokalek (above, left, from The Baader Meinhof Complex). Much less beau-
tiful than most "movie stars," she lights up the screen in her own manner: via sheer intensity and commitment. You can easily under-
stand why a "looker" like Fürmann would find himself in her thrall.

Movies based on historical events run the risk of audiences already knowing the outcome. American audiences, however, will be unfamiliar with this one, so the finale will retain every drop of suspense and surprise. Along the way, you'll see some interesting sights (a funeral that takes place during a climb) and thought-provoking encounters (what comes first, the photo journalist or the human being?). The award-winning screenplay and camerawork combine to make some rather incredible logistics understandable. Finally, it's the little things you'll marvel over: the difficulty, for instance, of getting frozen hands to move a rope.

North Face, from Music Box Films, opens in New York City Friday, January 29, at the Beekman, Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and Landmark's Sunshine. Additional playdates -- theaters and cities -- can be found by clicking here then scrolling down.