Wilderness (2006)

Juvenile delinquents are sent to a small British island after a fellow prisoner's death, where they have to fight for survival.

Director:

M.J. Bassett (as Michael J. Bassett)

Writer:

Dario Poloni

Stars:

Sean Pertwee, Alex Reid, Toby Kebbell

Cast

Cast overview:
Sean Pertwee	...	Jed
Alex Reid	...	Louise
Toby Kebbell	...	Callum
Stephen Wight	...	Steve
Luke Neal	...	Lewis
Ben McKay	...	Lindsay
Lenora Crichlow	...	Mandy
Karly Greene	...	Jo
Adam Deacon	...	Blue
Richie Campbell	...	Jethro
Stephen Don	...	Dave's Father
John Travers	...	Dave
George Shane	...	Governor
Gordon Fulton	...	Boat's Captain
John Rea	...	Counsellor John

Storyline

In a juvenile detention center, inmate Dave commits suicide after being abused with his friend Lindsay by sociopaths Steve and Lewis under the indifference of the other cellmates. The governor sends them to an uninhabited island to improve their relationships and characters under the command of tough monitor Jed. They meet a camp of female delinquents under the command of veteran soldier Louise and they camp in another area. However, when they are attacked by a pack of dogs and a mysterious man with a crossbow wearing camouflage, they join forces fighting to survive, under the leadership of Callum.

---

Plot Keywords:

island | survival | bully | juvenile detention | prisoner | 

---

Taglines:

It's not about revenge. It's about punishment.

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and a scene of sexuality

Did You Know?

Goofs

Louise talks about serving in the 7th Armoured Division in Basrah, Iraq. The 7th Armoured Division was disbanded after the second world war thus making it impossible for her to have served within this division.

---

Alternate Versions

The distributor had requested the film be considered for a '15' when it was seen by the BBFC in the UK, but the language in the film was considered too strong for '15'. The distributor chose to reduce the very strong language in the film's final edit, leaving a single use of 'c**t' where there had originally been four uses.

---

Connections

References Zorro (1957)

User Reviews

Welcome to the Wildnerness; we got fun & games!

Call us uncivilized savages if you must, but who honestly doesn't enjoy raw and barbaric adventure-movies in which the blood and violence literally bursts from the screen? In case you were thrilled by movies like "Battle Royale", "Blood Camp Thatcher" or even the more classic milestone "The Most Dangerous Game", you simply have to see "Wilderness"; a brand new British survival-horror effort directed by Michael "Deathwatch" Basset. After the suicide of a fellow inmate, a troop of juvenile delinquents – for whom all hope for rehabilitation was given up long time ago – are sent to a prison island for a severe lesson in elementary life-values. On the island, however, a mad-raving psychopath lies in wait for them and even the innocent guards and some random girls become defenseless targets. Trained and equipped like an experienced hunter, the killer annihilates nearly the whole gang by using deadly booby-traps and ravenous dogs. As you can derive from this brief plot description, originality isn't "Wilderness" biggest trump and the script doesn't even bother to keep the killer's identity secret for a long time. But seriously, who cares about aspects like these when a film is so adrenalin rushing and blood-soaked? The "hunting humans"-premise is mixed with the textbook 80's slasher plot of a revenge-seeking killer, but you aren't given a chance to grumble about the banality, as there is gore and excitement everywhere! The island itself is a captivating location, resulting in masterfully choreographed sequences and some utterly imaginative booby-traps. Unlike in his previous film "Deathwatch", Michael J. Basset definitely doesn't cut back on the blood & gore here, and we're gladdened with close-up shotgun action, amputated body parts, chopped of heads and loads of aggressive dog-action! The character drawings are very well processed and Basset fully uses the nihilistic and totally lackadaisical nature of youthful criminals. These young social outcasts don't care about anyone but themselves and pretty soon there are sub plots involving betrayal, jealousy and cowardly behavior. The sound & visual effects are terrific and Peter Robertson clearly has a talented eye for versatile camera-work. Following films like "Dog Soldiers", "28 Days Later…" and "The Descent", this "Wilderness" is yet another piece of evidence that the British horror industry is working on a remarkable revival nowadays. Highly recommended!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Wilderness

Box Office

Budget:

GBP3,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$566,098

Company Credits

Production Co:

Momentum Pictures, Baker Street, Ecosse Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1