Crow Valley – Movie Review
Director: Josh Conn
Writer: Josh Conn (Screenplay)
Cast
- Josh Conn
- Nicole Freeman
- Jessica Leaming
- Tina Rettke
- Peter Murrihy
Plot: Mountain biker Benny Jones sets off on a weekend ride to remote Crow Valley but is knocked off his bike in a brutal hit and run. He wakes badly injured in an abandoned cabin where he meets young hiker Greta. When her lies and sanity start to unravel he finds himself in a desperate fight for survival.
Runtime: 1 Hour 17 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Crow Valley starts when Benny sets off on a mountain bike ride to the remote Crow Valley. Benny stops for maintenance of his bike, where he gets hit by a car. Greta offers him help, taking him back to a remote cabin to recover from his injuries.
As Greta starts to show an unstable side to her nature, it becomes clear she has planned this for a while now. This leaves us wondering what his motivation is to capture Benny.
Verdict on Crow Valley
Characters
Benny is a mountain biker that is on a reflective journey after an incident in his past. He gets hit by a car, leaving him injured on the side of the road, and waking up in a remote cabin. Benny finds himself fighting for his life when his past comes back to haunt him once again.
Greta is the woman that has hunted down Benny, showing herself as a random hiker. She is unstable having visions of her past traumas, despite having a reason for targeting Benny.
Performances
Nicole Freeman does a great job with the unstable character she is playing. She switches up her character for each and every scene, making it just as uneasy to see what she does next.
Josh Conn stars, writes and directs this movie, where he will bring his character to life. He shows the character has a lot of remorse for something that has happened, a broken man for his mistake.
Story
The story follows a man who gets injured and taken back by a stranger to help him recover. As the story unfolds, we get to learn the truth about both the characters, who have their own darker problems.
This is a movie that could have comparisons to ‘Hard Candy’ with the idea of one person trapping the other in what they see as a revenge idea. It has a very different motivation behind what is happening though. The story is smart enough to play both characters off as having problems they can’t address. Even if the final showdown feels a lot flatter because of what had previously happened.
Themes
Crow Valley is a horror thriller that sees a cyclist injured and taken back to a mysterious cabin. There is the creation of isolation, as Benny can’t get to safety after his accident. The torture side of the film feels tame by the time it gets underway though. This can be explained more because Greta is unsure of what she wants from the encounter.
Final Thoughts – Crow Valley is a solid thriller with twists along the way.
