The Gorge is a genre-bending film that defies easy categorization, weaving together elements of action, sci-fi, romance, and horror into a unique and compelling tapestry. The story is built around a deceptively simple premise: two highly-trained operatives are assigned to guard opposite sides of a vast, mysterious gorge, with a strict command not to communicate with one another.
Miles Teller plays Levi Kane, a former Marine Scout sniper with a haunted past. He is recruited for this top-secret, year-long mission by a mysterious woman named Bartholomew, a sharp and calculating figure played with an air of cold authority by Sigourney Weaver. Levi is dropped into his post on the west side of the gorge, a vast, fog-shrouded chasm that seems to hold an unknowable evil. He is told his job is to prevent anything from escaping the depths below.
On the opposite side, in a matching guard tower, is Drasa, a Lithuanian operative with a formidable reputation, brought to life by the captivating Anya Taylor-Joy. Like Levi, she is an elite sniper, and she is also under strict orders to maintain her solitary vigil without any contact. However, with months of isolation stretching out before them, their natural curiosity and shared humanity begin to get the better of them. Their communication starts with simple, handwritten signs, read through powerful binoculars, and slowly evolves into a long-distance relationship built on shared moments, inside jokes, and an unspoken understanding of their strange and lonely existence.
The film's first half is a masterclass in building tension and character through minimal interaction. The chemistry between Teller and Taylor-Joy is palpable, even with the vast gorge separating them. Their burgeoning romance is the heart of the film, providing a much-needed warmth and human connection in a bleak and isolated setting. They bond over their shared skills, their loneliness, and their mutual defiance of the rigid rules of their mission.
The central mystery of the gorge itself, however, looms large over their budding romance. The characters are tasked with keeping "Hollow Men" from escaping, a term used to describe the monstrous creatures that lurk in the abyss below. When a sudden and catastrophic event forces Levi to fall into the gorge, Drasa, in a moment of desperate courage, follows him. It is at this point that the film shifts gears entirely, transforming from a slow-burn romance into a frantic, terrifying survival story.
Once inside the gorge, the two operatives discover a nightmarish, mutated ecosystem where the laws of nature seem to have been twisted. The "Hollow Men" are revealed to be something far more tragic and sinister than they first appeared, and the mystery of who sent them on this mission, and why, begins to unravel. They discover a hidden, abandoned facility deep within the chasm, and what they find there forces them to confront a terrifying conspiracy far greater than they could have imagined.
The film's second half is an exhilarating, non-stop ride through a claustrophobic and hostile environment. The creature design is both grotesque and inventive, and the action sequences are intense and visceral. The Gorge is a film that successfully marries a heartfelt romance with a high-stakes, sci-fi horror narrative, resulting in a movie that is both emotionally resonant and thrilling. It's a testament to the power of human connection in the face of overwhelming, and even supernatural, danger.
The Gorge is a 2025 action movie with a runtime of 2 hours and 7 minutes.
It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 57.
