Something of an undiscovered…well if not a precious gem, then certainly something semi-precious. One of the rare times when a film stands out when idly flicking through Netflix to find something to watch. The director’s name was what first caught my eye -Gore Verbinski who has done some good stuff.
The premise was initially very intriguing - a Swiss sanatorium/retreat where the very rich and powerful go to recharge but who never, it seems, come back. An amoral young financial whizz-kid from NYC is sent to bring back the Head of the company which is undertaking a major merger but before which, certain documents and dodgy practices need to be cleared up before it can proceed. His driven, near fanaticism is a great contrast to the silkily smooth head of the sanatorium - who is very much more than he at first seems.
The atmosphere of the place was wonderfully caught - a glorious physical setting which seems to be perfect in every way - and yet there is something rotten and deeply sinister about it as well. It was his discovery of the truth of the place and what it did and how it did it was the thrust of the film.
However the biggest problem was the length of the film - almost two and a half hours which really was excessive. It did remain involving though as Verbinski did manage to tell the story well - its just that scenes could have been made leaner and snappier without losing any of the spreading dread which was one of the best features of the film.
As indicated above, at the end with the revelations and climax we enter Lovecraft territory - and there have been enough scenes and hints to make this plausible and it is a richly enjoyable end; Verbinski can do great set pieces very well.
So a fun and enjoyable film that is worth seeking out.