THE BACKWOODS

(A.k.a. BACKWOODS; BOSQUE DE SOMBRAS)

The North of Spain, 1978. Timid Norman (Paddy Considine, DEAD MAN'S SHOES) and Lucy (Virginie Ledoyen, HOUSE OF VOICES; 8 WOMEN) travel in their car, listening to Leonard Cohen on the radio. Perhaps that's the reason she complains of a headache.

They're following Norman's boss Paul (Gary Oldman, BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA; LEON) and his wife Isabel (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, THE MACHINIST) in their 4x4.

Paul stops in a small village to stretch his legs. Norman joins him for a drink at the local tavern, where the locals stare suspiciously at the pair as they make their way to the bar. Paul surprises the locals by speaking fluent Spanish, advising that his grandmother was born in these parts and he's recently bought her house in the woods. This is not well received by the insular locals.

Before they leave, Lucy enters the bar, having just poured cold water down her front to cool herself down. The locals are clearly pleased with the sight of the pretty blonde's nipples showing through her wet top; Norman is not.

Norman's car breaks down on the way to Paul's remote house, so the quartet complete the journey together in the 4x4. Upon arrival, they retire for the evening - Paul and Isabel have sex, while Norman and Lucy row about her earlier display at the bar.

The following morning, Paul takes Norman out with his dog Lester and a couple of rifles, hunting in the surrounding woods. Meanwhile, the women skinny-dip together in a nearby lake, where Lucy confesses to Isabel that she feels her marriage may be over.

Having shot a rabbit, Paul decides it's time the boys returned to the house. However, his shortcut gets them lost in the woods and they stumble across an abandoned building. Going in for a closer look, Paul is alarmed to find a young girl with deformed hands, chained to a wall behind a padlocked door. Despite Norman's misgivings, Paul insists they take the girl back to their house where they can jump in the 4x4 and deliver her to the police.

Arriving back at the house at night, Paul and Norman show the girl to their partners who both have their own reactions: Isabel is sympathetic, while Lucy - who has never got over the loss of her own child - is cold and unreasonable. However, the women pitch together and clean the girl up in the bath before setting off in the 4x4.

Unfortunately, the 4x4 is put out of action when it hits a tree in the middle of the road, and the group are forced to make their way back to Paul's house on foot. Paul plans to walk the girl to the police - a two-hour journey - the following morning.

But, come dawn, there is a knock at the door. Paco (Lluis Homar, BAD EDUCATION), his brothers Antonio (Andres Gertrudix, THE ORPHANAGE) and Lechon (Jon Arino, EL TREN DE LA BRUJA), and cousin Miguel (Kandido Uranga, VACAS) are searching for a girl who has gone missing from the village. Pleading ignorance, Paul offers to join them in the woods on their search. He then goes inside the house to grab his rifle, and urges Norman to take the girl on foot to the police while he steers the locals' search in the other direction.

But, making a truly terrible decision, Norman decides it would be better to lie to Lucy and Isabel, and tell them Paul has told them all to stay put until he returns …

THE BACKWOODS is a slow-building thriller very much in the style of the 1970s. It's debt to DELIVERANCE (the inbred locals; the arrogant outsiders) and STRAW DOGS (a blatant rape-revenge lift from Peckinpah's film) is undeniable, further placing it in the era it's set in.

While the script is sometimes a little clunky (Ledoyen gets all the worst lines), the performances lift it above the average and keep things consistently watchable. Oldman, in particular, delivers his most enjoyable performance in years - brimming with barely restrained energy and edginess, as well as displaying an impressive command of the Spanish language.

Considine is great for the majority of the film, only faltering in the scenes he shares with Ledoyen - these two bring out the worst in each other, making each scene of supposed end-of-relationship angst seem utterly laughable.

Aside from Oldman and Considine - obviously the two main draws for most fans - there's reliable support from the peripheral cast, especially Homar who delivers an unexpectedly complex character, not content with simply being a black-and-white "villain".

As an essay on the deterioration of Norman and Lucy marriage, their struggling to cope with loss and Norman's eventual breakdown, THE BACKWOODS feels a little heavy handed and consequently doesn't always convince. As a thriller analysing the rationale of people thrown into alien surroundings then presented with a very real, very frightening issue to deal with, it's a taut, tense affair that builds unerringly towards a satisfying - if not altogether clear upon first viewing - finale.

Unjustly maligned in the majority of its reviews, THE BACKWOODS benefits from largely good acting (the above quibbles aside), slick editing, beautiful outdoor compositions and a keen sense of pacing from director Koldo Serra (EL TREN DE LA BRUJA).

Cleverly eschewing a body count-style crescendo, THE BACKWOODS retains it's laconic mood while slyly cranking up the tension little-by-little, resulting in a film that some may feel is too sedate - but others will appreciate for it's measured delivery and emphasis on realism.

The disc presents the uncut film in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, enhanced for 16x9 TV sets. The transfer quality is absolutely superb - sharp, clean, clear and vibrant.

The 2.0 audio is well balanced if a little muffled on occasion. Subtitles are forced during moments of Spanish dialogue, while optional English Hard of Hearing subtitles are at hand for the remainder of the film.

Animated menu pages include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters.

The only extra relating to THE BACKWOODS is a 2-minute trailer, in non-enhanced 2.35:1.

The disc opens with a forced trailer for the Lindsay Lohan / Jared Leto curio, CHAPTER 27.

I can only assume that the bulk of the negative reviews afforded to THE BACKWOODS stem from people building it up too much on account of the Oldman/Considine pairing. Go into this with no expectations, and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised by a good old-fashioned in-the-wilderness thriller graced with solid performances and great nipples from Ledoyen.

Review by Stuart Willis