Battleground (2012) Skeleton Lake (original title)

Director:

Neil Mackay

Writers:

Neil Mackay
Sean McAulay

Release Date:

2012 (Canada)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The Ambush Begins

Plot:

A bank robbery goes awry and the robbers hold up within a forest, but there is another that dwells here, an ex Vietnam vet. Soon, a battle of survival erupts as the thieves' now have to fight for their very existence. |

Plot Keywords:

Forest | Killing | Crazed Vietnam Vet | Booby Trapped Door | Bank Robbery

Cast

Bryan Larkin	...	Mitch
Hugh Lambe	...	The Hunter
Bob Cymbalski	...	Texas
Robert Nolan	...	Logan
Mark Munro	...	Kowalski
Damon E. White	...	Crowley
Frank Ieraci	...	Dominic
Lee Sandford	...	Heather
Bass Stewart	...	Boyfriend
Ramen Zarafshan	...	The Voice
Ryan Borg	...	Young Hunter
Sean McAulay	...	Redneck
Merella Fernandez	...	News Reporter

Directed by
Neil Mackay

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Neil Mackay
Sean McAulay

Produced by
James Crawford	....	executive producer
Mike Hedge	....	associate producer
Frank Ieraci	....	associate producer
Tim Maddocks	....	associate producer
Sean McAulay	....	co-producer
Tristan Phillips	....	associate producer
Judd Tilyard	....	producer
Ayz Waraich	....	producer (as Ayyaz Waraich)

Original Music by
Wojciech Golczewski

Cinematography by
Kevin Rasmussen

Film Editing by
Neil Mackay

Production Design by
Sean Berwick

Makeup Department
Verity Fiction	....	makeup department head
Verity Fiction	....	special makeup effects designer and creator

Production Management
Shane Davis	....	post-production manager

Sound Department
Adam Clark	....	sound recordist
Steven Ejbick	....	assistant engineer
Pino Halili	....	dialogue editor
Matthew Harrold	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ben McNeill	....	boom operator
Nathan Robitaille	....	sound effects editor
Matthew Shoalts	....	boom operator
Gayle Ye	....	boom operator

Visual Effects by
Martin Coven	....	visual effects supervisor
Shane Davis	....	visual effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Hedge	....	still photographer

Other crew
Ben McNeill	....	behind the scenes director/producer
Liz Tomkins	....	production coordinator
Gayle Ye	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Dimeworth Films
• Mojo Promotions (executive production)

Distributors

• Epic Pictures Group (2012) (worldwide) (all media)
• 21st Century Pictures (2012) (Australia) (DVD) (as 'Battleground')
• Dimeworth Films (2012) (Canada) (all media)
• Earth Gate (2012) (Japan) (DVD)
• Film1 (2013) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Justy (2012) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD) (as 'Battleground')
• Signature Entertainment (2012) (UK) (DVD)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Pretty Moving Pictures  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

"Skeleton Lake" - Canada (original title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Canada:R | Australia:MA15+ | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:18 | UK:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Bradford, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Dimeworth Films

Goofs:

Continuity: When Texas changes to the AK-47 near the end, he still has it on his back in the next couple of close-ups.

Interesting concept.

Battleground is a movie that has been done before. The only thing is that each of its elements were in different movies (for example: Predator - except that the predator in that was a science-fiction alien and in this he's real)! Basically whilst certainly not a great film of the genre, Battleground is worth the time taken to watch it. Unfortunately, the director fell into the same trap that so many others have succumbed to whereby there is a scene where the predator runs away from three heavily-armed men through the forest. All three are letting loose with machine guns (at least one with one in each hand!) and yet the only person who gets anything like a hit is the cameraman who manages at least three seconds of a clear shot of the fleeing man's back whilst the three pursuers cant even scratch him! As I say, this is nothing new, It happened in several Arnold Scwartzenegger films where several good guys (or vice versa) fire several hundred rounds at the fleeing bad guy (or vice versa) and yet the bad guy, with only a hand gun manages to take out more than one of them over his shoulder. It insults the viewers' intelligence and, in my case anyway, cost some points in my rating of the movie. Other than that though, Battleground is definitely a thriller - although, with just a couple of brief exceptions, not really a horror film - and, as I say, worth the time.