Into The Grizzly Maze (2015)

Dir: David Hackl

Gotta love a film that gives an opening credit to a bear

Rowan (James Marsden STRAW DOGS remake), after a seven year prison stint, returns to his hometown of Rowley in Alaska at the behest of an old friend. Johnny Cadillac (Adam Beach COWBOYS AND ALIENS), a childhood friend who stood by Rowan in his time of need, is acting as guide to a group of poachers who want to hunt in the Grizzly Maze, a section of forest where it is easy to become lost. Concerned for Johnny, his family asks Rowan to hike out to the maze and check up on him. Unfortunately for Johnny, Rowan is a hot head and is busted by the police on his first night in town when he pummels a pimp for smacking around a woman. Fortunately, he's busted by Sheriff Beckett (Thomas Jane DARK COUNTRY), his older brother.

Beckett, while angry still at Rowan for committing the crime and doing the time, invites Rowan back to the ole homestead. In the years that have past, Beckett has stopped hunting and is engaged to the deaf triple threat photo journalist / biologist / conservationist Michelle (Piper Perabo CARRIERS). The next morning a call comes in about a bear attack on illegal loggers. Beckett heads out to the crime scene and drops Rowan at the trail head as he is determined to carry out his mission.

Beckett & Rowan

At the crime scene Beckett learns what he is up against; the viewer has seen earlier in the film the power of the bear when it battered down a cabin door and mauled a couple of poachers and later the trespassing lumberjacks. Enter crazed bear hunter Douglass (Billy Bob Thornton who hits all the right notes in his portrayal) who warns everyone that they aren't up against an ordinary bear; this one is clever. Alarmed that Michelle is in the woods, Beckett heads after her with Kaley (Michaela McManus), who still pines for Rowan, in tow. On the sly, Beckett's boss Sully (Scott Glenn SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS)  hires Douglass to track and kill the bear.

It's not long before all the main players are in the woods fighting to survive against a clever bear.

Bart the Bear

Killer bear films aren't anything new (GRIZZLY, THE EDGE) and the broader nature run amok genre certainly has plenty of examples of art and trash (JAWS, THE FOOD OF THE GODS). INTO THE GRIZZLY MAZE falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. Filmed in British Columbia, Vancouver and Utah, director David Hackl (SAW V) and crew deserve praise for capturing the beauty of the forest locations (I want to backpack there!). But he fails to generate any tension, even when the main characters are threatened by the clever bear. The script by Guy Moshe and J.R. Reher is predictable right down to any character who has done nature wrong being killed. It was entertaining enough while watching it but not a trail I'll travel twice.

** 1/2 out of ****