"You bury enough secrets, the graveyard runs out of room," remarks Levi (Miles Teller) as he sits across from Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) during a makeshift romantic dinner. They are two highly trained operatives tasked with keeping watch in guard towers opposite each other, separated by a vast, mysterious, fog-filled gorge. 

 

The gorge is highly classified, filled with an evil that must not be released. Both guards are equipped with weapons and tools and are responsible for keeping the secret safe. While the pair are initially charged not to contact the other, boredom leads to distant bonding. Levi stands post in the Western tower; he's a former US Marine scout sniper and carries the stoicism and detachment needed for such an assignment. Drasa, a Lithuanian mercenary, guards from the Eastern tower and has an affinity for booze, chess, and punk rock music to match her lethality with a rifle. 

 

While remaining vigilant, walking their perimeter, and conducting monthly radio checks, the pair slowly form a distant kinship, which leads to romance. The event that truly drives them toward connection is when they work together to repel an attack from the gorge's inhabitants. 

 

Slowly revealing an intriguing mystery of what is actually down in the gorge is fun, so I will not spoil further details of the plot. The set-up is compelling and engaging, and I really liked both characters. Derrickson's film slowly lets the action leak out and decides to spend most of the first hour of The Gorge, allowing his characters to breathe and come to life. 

 

Yes, there is fun sociopolitical history that The Gorge uses to frame its story. Secret private sector forces representing American, British, and Soviet interests formed a quiet alliance in the pre-Cold War era with the aligned purpose of preserving the gorge. Each tower's guard does a one-year tour of the post and then is promptly relieved. The predecessors leave behind clothes, gear, and poetic graffiti. They also orally pass down the lore of the gorge. Like I said, the set-up is relishing. 

 

The payoff is where The Gorge starts to slip. When the reason for the gorge's secrecy is revealed, the movie could have ended immediately as I saw where everything was heading to next. 

 

Arguably, the most egregious error of this film is Zach Dean's script. Both Levi and Drasa are so believable as two humans who are detached killers who deeply long for a life filled with love and connection. All bets are off after these traits are established because what follows is incomprehensible.

 

What is harder to swallow is their inexplicable ability to get out of every corner they paint themselves into. Levi must hold a world record for grandest jack-of-all-trades. There is nothing he cannot do that the plot needs him to do. Shoot incredible distances? Sure, he was a sniper. Weld? Ok. Reassemble a rocket launcher as a grappling hook? Perhaps? Two scenes involve aged, decrepit, unserviceable equipment being turned back on easily as if they needed fresh batteries. 

 

He and Drasa are also invincible, suffering multiple injuries, including massive head trauma, stab wounds, and appendage strain, like superheroes. When characters bounce back so quickly from injury, the script should not have even allowed them to be hurt in the first place. No matter how many hits they absorb, they get back up and can engage the enemy with precision, poise, and seemingly unlimited ammunition. 

 

The score from Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor is a high mark, although it does not stand out as much as some of their other hits, such as Challengers and The Social Network. Sigourney Weaver is billed higher than she needs for what amounts to a sinister corporate boss cameo with a silly resolution. However, she is always a joy to see on screen.

 

The Gorge is a great-looking film with engaging and interesting set pieces. A few sets are obvious green screen stages. I marveled at how Director of Photography Dan Laustsen kept finding interesting ways to shoot tight guard tower spaces and immerse me in the world of the gorge with striking colors. 

 

Yes, The Gorge makes some unbelievable jumps with the abilities and stamina of the two leads. However, Derrickson balances the tonal shifts of romance, sci-fi, action, and horror. I may be alone in my position, but the disparate types of genres work well here. That is because there is just enough of each to carry into the next section. It would not be as interesting if this were just a romance movie or a routine action horror. 

 

The glue for this film is the performances of the two leads. Teller and Joy share exciting, sexy chemistry. Their initial exchanges observed via binoculars remind me of a soft enemies-to-lovers trope; their gradual connection becomes something to root for, even in ridiculous circumstances. I appreciated that they developed a relationship based on trust of skill while allowing for the softer moments of dinner and poetry to permeate their defenses. 

 

Would The Gorge make a great date night movie? Probably. Its fun action sequences and gentler, humorous beats between the two leads, all inside a PG-13 bubble, make for adequate one-time viewing. I don't think it's worth a subscription to Apple TV+, but it's definitely worth watching at a friend's house.