High Ground – Movie Review
Director: Stephen Johnson
Writer: Chris Anastassiades (Screenplay)
Cast
- Jacob Junior Nayonggul
- Simon Baker (Margin Call)
- Jack Thompson (Breaker Morant)
- Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road)
- Ryan Corr (Wolf Creek 2)
Plot: In a bid to save the last of his family, Gutjuk, a young Aboriginal man, teams up with ex-soldier Travis to track down Baywara, the most dangerous warrior in the Territory, his uncle.
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: High Ground starts when Aboriginal Gutjuk’s (Nayinggul) family is butchered by invaders. He is rescued by soldier Travis (Baker) who finds him a safe place to grow up in a changing Australian landscape.
When Gutjuk grows up, Travis reluctantly agrees to help him find the remains of his family. Taking them both through the dangerous territories to track down his warrior uncle.
Verdict on High Ground
High Ground is an action-adventure movie that shows one man who refused to accept a slaughter of a native people. It sees an Aboriginal tribe slaughtered by invaders, only for one soldier to do the right thing and protect a young member.
This is a movie that looks to bring together the concepts of how two worlds collide, and violence became the answer. Instead, it shows how one person will look to do something different in an attempt to see both works together. The conflict involved feels very real and it shows how yet again an invading English army believed they could walk over another set of native people. This movie does have an overall sense of danger around every corner for the people involved.
Final Thoughts – High Ground is a by-the-book adventure that carries a sense of danger throughout.