Outpost (2007)
March 16, 2008
Could a ghost be nothing more than the memory of a previous existence trapped within electromagnetic fields? Could a unified theory explain all existence as we know it? That we, and the particles that make up who and what we know ourselves to be at this point are, in actuality, nothing but vibrations? Strings of reality being tweaked and plucked on a level most of us can barely entertain the thought of—let alone understand?
Albert Einstein spent the last years of his life working on a unified field theory. So obsessed with it was the man that even on his deathbed he requested his notes so that he could continue working on them. Some say he wasted his time. Others say, without Einstein’s brilliant if misunderstood theories, modern physics would not exist in the form we study.
It was Einstein who warned the U.S. that Germany could possibly be working on an atomic bomb. It was Einstein who suggested that the U.S. take action. For whatever involvement Einstein had in the creation of the atomic bomb, what we do know is that, without his theories, perhaps America would never have succeeded in the creation of the first atom bomb.
What happened to Einstein once he saw the results of his theories? Outpost writers tell us, with grim melodrama, that he destroyed those notes and research. Whatever the case may be here, it makes for wonderful tension. When you combine field theory, which could (in theory, of course) bend space and time with WWII, specifically the Nazis, sprinkle in a dash of the paranormal and mix it all together with mercenaries picked from the elite soldiers of their country, you get a tense, interesting and very creepy result.
You get Outpost.
DC, played by Ray Stevenson, is a soldier of fortune. We meet DC in the back of a military wagon being transported with six other mercenaries to the target destination. Through a series of well placed flashbacks, we find out that DC has been contracted by a man named Hunt, played by Julian Wadham (who did a fine job as Major Granville, a man who went quickly out of his mind in Exorcist: The Beginning).
DC has been contracted to make certain that Hunt gets to the destination, an underground bunker in a “mineral rich area” in eastern Europe, which Hunt’s backing company is interested in. Upon safe arrival and securing the area, DC asks Hunt if this bunker is the place. After Hunt nods that it is, DC replies, “Minerals, huh? Right.”
As soon as the doors to the bunker are flung open, we are given a view of them from within the bunker itself. And right away, we know something is wrong. Because something passes by the camera in the dark.
Outpost is a quick starter. As noted, we are immediately introduced to the protagonist (arguably DC, though Hunt’s role is major), given our destination and set up for the element of suspense. Within twenty five minutes, we are introduced to the atrocities that have been enacted in this bunker. It seems that the Nazis had used this bunker for human experiments (are there any other kind with this genre? Hell no. And that’s how we like it, thank you very much), and our mercenaries come upon them piled into a corner of one of the rooms. Surprisingly untouched by the ravages of time, the victims bodies are white as snow, shaved clean and looking as if they might have only been killed days before the mercenaries arrive.
As the situation is being surveyed, a hand flies up from the pale bodies, as a drowning man might thrust his hand out of the water and into the sky. The mercenaries roll the bodies off the man, only to find a very thin, very catatonic fellow who looks a little more worse for wear. Through various unsuccessful attempts to get the survivor to speak, DC determines that they will keep him under protection for the moment. They have a job to do. What that job is, DC, along with the rest of the men, are no longer certain.
The various personalities of the men are explored enough to give them depth. The viewer has enough information to know whether to sympathize with a character or perhaps silently hope for comeuppance. Hunt, on the surface, seems an aloof and driven man with little concern other than to make his financial backers happy. As the film carries on, however, we come to understand there is more to Hunt that he lets on. Here is a highly intelligent man with a willingness to at least entertain the highly suspect in order to look for truth.
DC is gruff and determined. But almost immediately a protagonist the viewer finds no difficulty in liking. He takes both his job and his men’s lives seriously, and yet is able to laugh. His sense of humor, though war torn and damaged, is still in tact. When asked by Hunt what he does when not being a soldier of fortune, he replies, rather easily, “Drink.”
Wondering why we laid out the information on the outset about Einstein’s quest for a unified theory? Because this is the heart of the film. Outpost is nothing terribly original. This is yet another in a long line of stories centered around the atrocities of the Nazi regime during WWII. Here we have a paranormal theme built around a scientific assumption. The unified field theory, to be precise. While the basis for the paranormal occurrences may be unique, the idea of the Nazis dabbling in occult practices is certainly not. Yet whatever this film loses in originality points, it makes up for with heart and genuine, story-driven scripting.
Low on effects, Outpost fills the spaces normally occupied by slick CGI with atmosphere and tension. Steve Barker helms the director’s chair deftly, using both timing and camera work to keep the veiwer at a state of unease. Barker also managed to massage the best performance out of every actor in the film. Ray Stevenson is, as mentioned before, likable and believable. Gruff yet still approachable and he plays the calm-in-the-storm character very well. Julian Wadham plays the brooding role without taking himself too seriously. Richard Brake almost reprises his role as Corporal Dean Portman from Doom, yet adds enough nuance here and there to separate the roles acceptably.
All in all, Outpost is a film for fans of story-driven horror. There are plenty of things that go bump in the night and well placed gore that drives the story and does not stoop to gratuitous. Does it have its occasional flub? Yes. Does the premise require suspension of disbelief? Absolutely. And yet Barker seems to understand what we keep saying around here: one can’t avoid cliché with genre pieces. Ultimately, in order to serve the film properly, a director must understand that something done again, if done thoughtfully and with heart, can still make us, the viewers, shift a little in our seats wondering what might happen next. Outpost is very decent horror, indeed.
