Higher Ground (1988 TV Movie) User Reviews

Higher Ground is one of those oddball items that's more than worthy of a one-time watch.

[tarbosh22000 · 6/10 · 1 February 2021]

Jim Clayton (Denver) is an L.A. FBI agent who isn't quite On The Edge, but he's getting close. So to prevent getting there, he relocates to Jordan, Alaska to start a new life as a bush pilot. While there, he reconnects with his old buddy Rick (Kove) and his wife and son, and pretty soon, all three are flying the friendly skies with Annakin Airlines. But perhaps things aren't as friendly as they first appeared.

It seems the nefarious McClain (Masur) has an illegal bootlegging operation running, and Rick gets caught in the middle of it all. So now Clayton must go it alone and find out the truth about McClain, the bootleggers, and just why alcohol is illegal in Alaska anyway. Will he fall on his face...or reach HIGHER GROUND?

Schwarzenegger. Stallone. Seagal. Van Damme. Denver. A pantheon of the action gods, I tell ya. To be fair, Higher Ground is a decent enough TV movie from 1988 that was also a pilot for a prospective show. And pilot is indeed the operative word, as Denver and Kove fly all over Alaska (or is it Canada?) in search of those dastardly bootleggers.





Because it was made for TV - and this was long before the dominance of cable - it's all pretty tame stuff. There's no real violence, no nudity, and no bad language. Despite what you may have hoped for, John Denver does not shoot anyone in the head. He doesn't go on any drinking benders, killing sprees, Punchfighting tournaments, or anything of the sort. Hell, he doesn't even get involved in any car chases. But there are exactly two scenes of Denver-Fu. That's right, he all but shouts "Rocky Mountain Hi-Ya!" as he beats up some dudes. Now that's entertainment. Those scenes should have been longer. Much longer.

So think Airwolf meets Northern Exposure, maybe with a dash of Wings, but without the humor. But I repeat myself. Hey, we kid Wings because we love Wings (or do we?)





Anyway, John Denver looks like John Ritter meets Don Johnson. He's glasses-less this time around and he takes time out from his transition from FBI man to plane-flying man with a good ol' country singalong. Apropos of (almost) nothing, at a party, Clayton just happens to whip out his acoustic guitar and he plays the song "Alaska and Me" in its entirety. And the rest of the partygoers all know the words. It was a movie highlight for sure.

Denver is backed up with some solid support - Martin Kove as his buddy Rick was a more than welcome addition, and John Rhys-Davies as Lt. Smight, the Scottish-accented policeman on the case was a nice casting choice as well.

Richard Masur is another underrated character actor and he brought a lot to the role, which would have been much duller in lesser hands. But, as usual, one of the side characters steals the show. The local restauranteur, named Don, is a friendly, bearded man and he offers all his patrons his specialty of moose burgers. He was a great face and a great presence and we don't even know his name! But kudos to him nonetheless.

While he really should have mowed down many baddies with a machine gun in a Final Warehouse Fight a la Travis Blackstone, what we get is a nice, decent, middling affair that would have been perfect for the PAX channel back in the day. It could have been on after Doc in back-to-back programming featuring country stars turned actors. It should've aired in PAX's 10 o'clock timeslot for a slightly edgier, 'PAX After Dark' kind of vibe.

While it's not exactly unprecedented - Higher Ground is truly the Short Fuse of its day - to see a somewhat unorthodox John Denver taking the lead as a man of action seeking justice (however tepid) - Higher Ground is one of those oddball items that's more than worthy of a one-time watch.

I expected the sound of applause after the credits rolled.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 12 December 2021]

The heavily orchestrated title song, courtesy opening as John Denver flies into Alaska, sounds like something that was recorded at a concert and that's when I expected to hear audience reaction. Don't think that this is the last time that you'll see hear the medley of the song in the film because it is heard over the background several times throughout. There's an even an "I Love Alaska" type song that the ensemble sings out of the blue with John Denver leading them. While the orchestration is supposed to make you emotionally feel all warm and fuzzy, all I could think was, to quote John Denver's film debut, 'Oh. God!"

Certainly the irony of seeing John Denver flying is it enough to stir up emotions, but unfortunately, the film is emotionally manipulating even if it does have an exciting, intense story. You know who the bad guys are so it is not a mystery. It surrounds the sudden murder (about half an hour into the film) of Denver's best pal Martin Kove who accidentally becomes involved in a delivery of illegal goods ("bootlegging") and is found shot to death in the local river. His widow (Meg Wittner) and son (Brandon Marsh) turn to Denver for support, joining him at a local diner for a good ole moose burger.

John Rhys Davies is the uncooperative local law and Richard Masur is the head of the bootlegging racket. The corny performance of the actor playing the greasy spoon proprietor is a bit too much, like Leslie Jordan after a 24 hour coffee drinking binge. Allegedly a pilot for a TV series, I can see why it was not picked up because there's nothing really to dramatize beyond this. Denver was a singer who has left an extremely large legacy, but acting was not one of them. The only thing he offers in his performance is sincerity, not necessarily a bad thing, but a little bit goes a long way. After a while, it's inappropriately gooey, and even a little bit laughable.

Very Entertaining

[astoryweaver · 20 February 2004]

I saw this movie on tv when it came out. I taped it and have enjoyed watching it several times. John Denver is my favorite singer. I know he no longer graces our world, but there will never be anyone else who can compare to him. He was the greatest in his field today, yesterday, and forever. Higher Ground is one of his best endeavors.

It's not clear why others should enjoy it

[Ismaninb · 4/10 · 22 March 2009]

Normally I leave stuff to this to the fans. I see no implicit reason why I should spoil their fun. But Krorie from Van Buren wrote that "Others should enjoy it as well." And I am one of those others. My preference is Russian opera and hardrock/heavy metal of the early 70's. A great voice is what they have in common: a large range, powerful lungs and cords, a lot of expression. So I do recognize vocal skills. John Denver has stuck in my memory as the vocalist of Calypso, where he shows what he is capable of. Alas he does not in Higher Ground. This is not the place to explain why Calypso rules and others songs not. From my point of view the music in this movie is boring, the fans will have to grant me that. During the music the story comes to an absolute standstill, which means about 15 minutes of boredom. Sometimes I felt watching a documentary without a commentator. John Denvor is not a very good actor either. He heavily relies on his faithful dog expression. Fortunately he was wise enough to surround himself with very capable actors. That has one pro and one con. JD's own deficiencies are not very striking; at the other hand that Scottish policeman puts him in the shadow now and then. But nothing can save the violent scenes; basically Jim's enemies simply do not resist. The story is highly predictable, of Roy Rogers quality, with the usual stereotyped characters. JD plays the Man Who Knows What Is The Right Thing To Do And Does It Without Hesitation, while all the policemen are to dumb, deaf and blind to see who the villain is. Jim's best friend gets into trouble because he makes the wrong decision for the right reasons. The widow and the boy are only there for decoration, to give us some female and childish emotions, in the old-fashioned meaning. They need a Good Man to get them out of trouble. The Native gets his obligatory chance to express his grievances against the white man who has ruined his way of life. Of course the honesty of Jim - with an extra faithful expression on his face - wins him over, of course on the very last moment. Etcetera, etcetera. In the end it comes to this: almost everything serves to prove the spectator the excellent character of Jim/John Denver. Are there positive sides? Sure, excellent cinematography, using the assets of Alaska fully. When JD is not singing the pace of storytelling is nice, even though the predictability makes that the spectator easily can skip ten minutes. I mean, the movie does not drag. As I wrote before, acting is adequate. So the annoyance factor, so typical of several Elvis Presley flicks, is very low. The bottom line is that Higher Ground suffers from all the problems such heroic movies. That is no problem for JD-fans of course, but it means Krorie was wrong.

Don't Waste Your Time

[meransom · 2/10 · 28 January 2012]

A juvenile soap opera script with a treatment by less-than-adequate acting in a false setting and two-dimensional characters. This is what this poorly produced movie offers. As an Alaskan, I find any references to Alaska or its lifestyle to be sorely lacking. Great scenery, but it was shot in British Columbia in Canada, not in Alaska. A shot of a raccoon, when Alaska has no raccoons. In one conversation with an Indian kid, there's reference to the kid's father losing his pine grove. There are no pine groves in Alaska, but there are plenty of stands of spruce. Great music. Given. Still, a lackluster screenplay and poor acting aside, the film ran on several improbable scenarios. Among them, an unnatural conflict between secondary character Rick and his wife at the dinner table. It tries to pull the viewer along into an improbable argument. Later, Denver's character and the friend's wife were prevented from getting gasoline by the film's bad guy, McClain. Despite never resolving the fuel shortage, Denver continues to fly and operate a boat extensively through the remainder of the film in his quest to solve the murder of his friend. Since Denver's ultimate demise came from not checking the fuel tanks of his aircraft upon departure from Monterrey, California, one could almost sense a sad prophetic theme. The one standout in this mess of mediocrity was typically superb performance by veteran actor Richard Masur, who played the film's villain. If you're looking for a cinematic masterpiece you'll not find it here.

John Denver and his music are far out

[krorie · 8/10 · 20 February 2006]

John Denver has been criticized for not being a great singer, but he could sing, for not being a great actor, but he was a good actor, and for his songwriting which some called mundane and bland. Yet John Denver wrote one of the best songs of the 1970's, "Rocky Mountain High." And though his voice was not great, it was well suited for the type music he sang. My wife and I saw John Denver in concert in Memphis, Tennessee, around 1976. He gave one hell of a concert. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra backed him on some of his songs. When he sang many of his Rocky Mountain ballads, a slide show was presented on a giant screen behind him that enhanced his performance, adding beautiful still photography of nature's miracles. He was also a man of conviction who stood up for what he believed including freedom of expression when the Tipper Gore political opportunists tried to suppress First Amendment rights by putting pressure on Congress. He is one of the great free spirits and artists of his time.

"Higher Ground" is a precious film and a tribute to the man and his music. The three songs he sings in the movie, including the title song, are three of his best celebrating the natural high that an appreciation for nature brings. The Alaskan scenery is breathtaking. The movie also captures John Denver's love of flying.

The story is a good one for a made for TV flick. John Denver wants to get away from the madness and mania of the big city by flying to Alaska to visit an old friend and his family only to discover that there is madness and mania where ever there are human beings. When his friend is killed by bootleggers and drug runners, Denver fights back to clear his pal's name and to protect the wife and son of his slain comrade. This leads to action and adventure with a few touching scenes between Denver and his friend's son who also wants to fly someday.

This film is a must for John Denver fans. Others should enjoy it as well.

Not at all bad

[dvdbn · 7 May 2000]

it's been probably ten years since i've seen this movie. i don't recall it being bad, but there's something about it that stands out to me as excellent - its soundtrack. some of Denver's most memorable songs come from this cd - "Higher Ground" - "Home Grown Tomatoes" - "Alaska and Me"... listening to it almost makes me cry. what an artist that we've lost... watch it, if just for the songs...

Outstanding movie

[tdalston · 10 November 2002]

I remember seeing this movie when it came out. It had beautiful scenery and the song by John Denver Higher Ground. I later saw him in concert and bought the tape Higher Grounds that he later produced. I wish I could buy the movie and the tape again.

"You know I'll be looking for higher ground..."

[treeline1 · 13 December 2010]

John Denver stars as Jim Clayton, an FBI agent who gets fed up with his job in LA and moves to Alaska be a bush pilot. There, his partner gets involved with some shady smugglers and when he's found dead, Jim spearheads the investigation.

This TV movie was a pilot for a series. It's entertaining enough, with an exciting plot and nasty bad guys. The problem is John Denver who was a wonderfully talented singer but not a strong actor. He struggles to deliver his lines and isn't believable as an agent. His awkwardness contrasts greatly with the experience of his costars Martin Kove and John Rhys-Davis. Denver does shine when singing the lilting title song and a rousing ode to Alaska. His fans won't mind his self-conscious acting, but I can understand why this wasn't picked up as a series.

The movie does have a well-written script and beautiful Canadian scenery, and those who loved John Denver will find the scenes of him flying his little plane will tug at the heartstrings. A good movie for his fans.