October 2009
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Triangle (15)
Printed 14th October 2009

How to talk about Triangle without giving the whole game away? It’s a task almost as tricksy as the movie itself.

A meticulously-designed mystery-horror-thriller, Triangle is a twisty-turny mind-trip about a disparate group of friends who get stranded at sea after freak weather conditions cause their yacht to capsize. Shortly after, a vast cruise ship appears on the horizon and subsequently rescues them from the watery depths. Once on-board however, it swiftly becomes clear that all is not above-board as the ocean liner appears completely abandoned, whilst Jess (Melissa George) becomes increasingly convinced that she’s been aboard the vessel before...

Written and directed by Brit Christopher Smith, Triangle is a complex puzzle of a picture in both story and visual conception. Purportedly it took the talented Smith two years to complete the exacting script and judging from the superb end product it comes as no big surprise. Showcasing extraordinary attention-to-detail, like a mini-Lost, every single individual moment in Smith’s film is important for the overall cohesive whole.

Incredibly original in its intelligent pattern design, the skill-on-show in pulling and piecing together every single plot strand is scriptwriting of the highest order. Not an image, real or dreamt, is seemingly superfluous or unconnected to the overarching narrative. Not a character choice or motivation is unrelated to what is yet to happen or what has already occurred. Most head-scratchingly impressive though is that, despite this requisite-by-objective level of exactness, not a plot hole is to be located anywhere. Well, not by my feeble brain anyways. Perhaps on a second watch the intricate plot cohesion might erode somewhat but, when involved in the unfolding events for the first time, Triangle sails through the dangerous waters of continuity errors effortlessly.

Smith also manages to pull a phenomenal central performance from erstwhile Angel Melissa George. The film totally lives or dies by her bit and she doesn’t let the side down, turning in a career best performance and maybe, just maybe, elevating her status above the horror dross (The Amityville Horror remake / Turistas) and recurring TV roles (Alias / Grey’s Anatomy) that she’s thus far been constricted to. Her supporting players fare less well however, reduced more to plot pins for George to pivot off rather than fully-rounded characters in themselves. That said, Liam (brother of Chris-soon-to-be-Thor-and-recently-Kirk’s-dad) Hemsworth and Rachael (surely clone of Nicole Kidman?) Carpani both make an impression with what character and screentime they are respectively afforded.

The Twilight Zone by way of a particular fan-favourite film from 1993 that hogs repeat viewings over and over... and over (that’s your cryptic clue), Triangle really is a step up from Smith’s shock-horror debut Creep and his splatter-fest sophomore showing Severance and should surely open wider doors for him in the film industry. On this impressive evidence anyway, he certainly deserves it.

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