Director: Robert Connolly
Starring: Eric Bana, Anna Torv, Deborra-Lee Furness, Jacqueline McKenzie, Richard Roxburgh, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Writer: Robert Connolly
Runtime: 120 min
Rated: Rated R for language
Buy This Movie: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
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Synopsis:
Five women head out on a remote hiking retreat but only four return, each telling a different story. Detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) must find out what really happened before time runs out.
Review:
"Force of Nature", subtitled "The Dry 2", is an adaptation of Australian writer Jane Harper's second crime novel featuring federal agent Aaron Falk. Eric Bana returns in the lead role for a new self-contained mystery that has little connection to the first film.
Much like the previous installment, the narrative is somewhat unwieldy, but while "The Dry" still managed to keep me engaged, this so-called sequel is a slog to get through. The characters are not particularly interesting and while the mystery itself is not really predictable, the plot is convoluted, as well as delivered mechanically and by-the-numbers. It's also about 30 minutes longer than it should have been.
The mountain locations makes for some great scenery. The real hero of this story is cinematographer Andrew Commis, who showcases some oppresively dark, damp forest imagery that gives the film a strong sense of tension and psychological unease. Too bad the rest of the movie doesn't rise to the occasion.
The cast is a mixed bag. Bana is still great in the lead role, and Falk is complex enough to give the actor plenty to work with. Anna Torv, Jacqueline McKenzie and Richard Roxburgh also deliver good performances, but their characters are not very deeply explored. Everyone else is pretty bland.
It's uneven and depressingly bleak, but the biggest problem is that feels like your average TV procedural. Fans of the first film might find something to enjoy, but I can't recommend it to anyone else. Here's hoping they'll do a better job if they ever make a third one.
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