A young English couple backpacking across Australia run into a spot of bother when they catch a lift with a sinister American. Hardly an advisable enterprise in this day and age, but laddish Brit Alex (Shaun Evans) and his well-bred girlfriend Sophie (Amelia Warner) set out to backpack across Australia. Having a lovely time, they think their good fortune is boundless when offered a lift by Taylor (Scott Mechlowicz), a handsome American with a car. Tension builds among the three as Sophie quickly finds herself drawn to the alpha-dog charms of the winsome yank. It's Taylor's custom to take Polaroid snaps of everyone he meets on his travels and, when Alex finds a compromising snap of Sophie among them, the outback air turns positively red with malice. The jaw-dropping wide shot scenery and tight, claustrophobic shots inside the car add to the brooding malevolent mood in this chest-gripping drama. From . Even though theres an increasing number of horror movies right now, not least ones with characters left open in unfamiliar surroundings ( Wolf Creek, Hostel, Vacancy--and plenty more besides), its worth making some time in your life for Gone. Its a small British film, shot in Australia, with a lot more bite than youd expect it to have. Here, the lead characters in question are a pair of in-love backpackers, who, while rambling across Australian desert, meet a stranger on their travels. Things, without giving too much away, escalate from there, but thanks to the wise restraint of first-time director Ringan Ledwidge, events in Gone are kept very taut and extremely tense. Eschewing gimmicks and gore, instead the film is very focused, perhaps a little unambitious, but nonetheless highly effective. Ledwidges cast serve him very well, too. Shaun Evans and Amelia Warner are effective as the backpackers, but its Scott Mechlowicz stranger youll be talking about once Gones credits roll. That, and the superb photography, that delivers some wonderful frames from the terrific Australian scenery. Some may find the relatively slow pace a little troubling, and there isnt much in the way of surprise in Gones locker. But as a small, quietly effective little horror, you wont feel cheated by it at all. --Jon Foster Synopsis While on his way to meet his girlfriend Sophie (Amelia Warner, Aeon Flux), English backpacker Alex (Shaun Evans, The Boys From County Clare) meets a friendly and enigmatic American drifter called Taylor (Scott Mechlowicz, Eurotrip) in Sydney. After a night of heavy drinking, Taylor offers Alex a ride to Byron, where he meets up with Sophie. The couple decide to take Taylor up on his offer of a drive through the Outback. As the journey goes on, Alex becomes more and more suspicious of Taylor and his interest in Sophie. However, Taylor has something in his possession that could threaten Alex and Sophies relationship. Former commercials director Ringan Ledwidge makes an impressive and gorgeous looking debut feature film with GONE. The films plot combines elements of Wolf Creek, Dead Calm, and Roman Polanski's Knife in the Water and Ledwidge expertly controls the tension levels by providing a long and edgy build up to the terror that eventually occurs in this psychological thriller.
