Whitetail

Two men and a young boy embark on a hunting trip and stumble upon dangerous criminals.

Tom (Zembrod) and his brother-in-law Frank (Taylor) have just arrived at the caravan they have arranged to rent for the weekend, in an isolated part of Texas, following the recent passing of Tom's wife. They plan to spend the weekend hunting and hopefully find some solace and have brought with them Tom's autistic son Donnie (Melrose). While hunting, they encounter an injured man with a backpack full of money. The man's name is Davey (Douglas) and he was shot after he and his associates robbed a bank. While the three travellers try to decide what to do, the other thugs reach the area and get closer to locating the money, which puts their lives in great danger.

This psychological crime thriller is filled with ferocity, tension, suspense and threat. It contains nail-biting moments and a great deal of brutality, including people being beaten, threatened with guns or knives and being savagely killed.

Violence plays a significant role here. Violence appears to be the only way the villains in this story know how to express themselves or achieve their goals and they do not hesitate to show that. Eventually, the law-abiding heroes are forced to become as brutal as them in order to survive. The evil deeds that the crooks commit push Tom, Taylor and Donnie over the edge, leaving them no choice but to respond with savagery.

The main focus of the plot is the struggle for survival. The three unfortunate travellers do their best to remain out of harm's way, while they are being hunted and threatened by violent people. As things get worse, it is unlikely that there is going to be a peaceful resolution to this brutal series of events.

The performances are very strong and Blair and Coviello deserve significant praise for their realistic portrayals of vile and deranged individuals. Zembrod is great as a veteran hunter who is toughened and determined and Melrose is emotional as a fragile person who finds himself in a life-threatening situation.

Presley's screenplay contains well-explored and interesting characters and well-written dialogue and his directing includes wonderful establishing shots of nature. Garrett Schwindt does an amazing job with the cinematography and Patrick Russell's score is dramatic, tense and sinister and significantly assists in developing the right atmosphere.

Whitetail is a film that will keep the audience in suspense and shock with its scenes of atrocity. It shows how devastating violence is and how it can affect people, causing them to become violent themselves. With terrific acting and an intriguing story filled with dread, drama and menacing situations, this movie will most likely make a significant impression.

On digital 18 October