The Last Winter (2006) NR - 3 Stars

I liked the concept of this movie a lot where the earth takes back what mankind infringes upon, and if it would have had a stronger story line, it could have been a much better movie. I really only identified with Hoffman and possibly Pollock the greedy ruthless leader of the group but as opinions go, the person I watched it with loved everything about this movie.

A crew on a petroleum exploration, goes to a remote part of Northern Alaska to evaluate and prepare the site for "North," a large oil manufacturing company. When the some of crew start acting differently, they start to believe they're not out there alone. Strange visions are seen by some of the crew as they await the start of the project.

Ed Pollack (Ron Perlman) is the macho leader of the expedition and hell bent on drilling this area. His team, on a schedule, is already behind due to a climate warming change that is making it impossible to create ice roads to bring the equipment in. He's unwilling to take no for an answer.

James Hoffman (James Le Gros) and Elliot Taylor (Jamie Harrold) are research scientists sent to insure the environment will not be altered the area. The rest of the team consists of Motor (Kevin Corrigan), the mechanic who smokes pot and drinks too much, Abby Sellers (Connie Britton), who used to be in love with Ed but now is sleeping with James, and Maxwell McKinder (Zach Gilford) an inexperienced worker who's told he must be there by his father. Dawn Russell (Joanne Shenandoah) and Lee Means (Pato Hoffmann) are the Native Americans and hired hands for the expedition.

Hoffman makes some grave discoveries of the warming patterns in the area. His theory is the ground is becoming unstable and they must abort their mission as it would cause way too much havoc on the land. But Pollock is dead set against turning back now and instead orders Hoffman off the team.

Cabin fever begins to set in and strange changes are starting to effect some of the crew. Visions of the dark souls of the land are rising up and claiming victims one by one. When these visions start to effect Pollock himself, he decides they should all leave momentarily and have themselves looked at. But the rescue plane does more harm than help when it looses control and crashes into their shelter.

Faced with no other choice, Pollock and Hoffman take off on their last operational scooter in search of a way to get them out. In this white oasis of nothingness, the good in Hoffman battles the evil in Pollock as these dark souls of Mother Earth await their revenge.

IFC Films
Director: Larry Fessenden
Writers: Robert Leaver, Larry Fessenden
Producers: Jeff Grace, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Dave Eggar

I viewed 6/08