It’s fair to say that I’ve been disappointed with a lot of big-screen releases so far this year. Big, impressive trailers that ramp up expectations, but fail to deliver when viewed in the cinema. So, to see an interesting trailer for a much smaller movie, only for it to exceed my expectations upon viewing and become one of my favourite movies of the year so far was hugely satisfying.
Deputy Sheriff Tabby (Nikki Amuka-Bird) is preparing to head off to work at Jericho Ridge police station. She’s a single mum, with her lower leg currently in a cast due to a busted ankle. She’s also having to deal with a stereotypically moody and very difficult teenage son called Monty (Zack Morris), who is clearly pissed at having to accompany his mum to work and makes this pretty clear during their drive out to the remote, isolated location. He even decides to stay in the car when they arrive.
Tabby is welcomed back to the office by her colleagues where she’s brought up to speed on what’s been happening. There’s a murder investigation underway but the big news is that there was break in at the station the night before after one of the younger officers forgot to set the alarm. Some firearms are missing but otherwise, the damage is minimal. A drunken local is brought in after a domestic dispute and following an altercation with the officers is promptly locked up in the cell to sleep things off. As her male colleagues head out on various calls, Tabby settles down at the desk to begin her night shift working dispatch, thanks to her ankle injury taking her out of action.
The tension slowly ramps up with several things all being set up at the same time. Tabby watches dashcam footage of her 2 colleagues as they arrive at the home of a suspect in the station break in, only for it to escalate into a shootout. Meanwhile, there’s a pretty shifty-looking guy who Tabby believes is the locksmith, supposedly replacing the locks at the back of the station. There’s also the wife-beating drunk locked up in one of the cells back there and Monty has now gone, after spotting something that spooked him among the photos of a murder investigation, telling his mum that he’s needed for babysitting duties.
It’s clear that something very bad is about to play out and when things do go south, the pacing at which everything unfolds is just perfect. After dealing with some pretty intense drama inside the station, a couple of armed men show up outside the station and start taking out anyone who approaches. They clearly want to get inside the station and it’s up to Tabby to stop them.
With Tabby’s broken ankle slowing her down, every move between the desk of camera monitors to the back rooms or broken windows is packed with tension, with Tabby desperate to survive the night at all costs. And thanks to some brilliant early setup and scene setting, along with an amazing performance from its lead, this is one tightly paced and enjoyable thriller. An impressive first feature for Will Gilbey and an impressive action lead in the form of Nikki Amuka-Bird. I loved it.
Jericho Ridge will be released in UK cinemas from 25th April and available on Digital Download from 29th April
Where to Watch
Web developer by day, with a movie and TV watchlist that continues to grow as much as my spare time reduces! My favourite movie is Inception and, despite what everyone says, I do not have a man-crush on Tom Cruise.
