Powerful, Deeply Edgy Story, Based on True Story....Chilling to the Core
First, I share some background with you... I have known about this haunting and mysterious story for many many years and of course once I knew it was being turned into a film I have waited on pins and needles to see it. It came and went so fast in the theaters that I totally missed it and so pre ordered it here on Amazon so I could watch it before anybody I knew could see it, tell me about it, and spoil it for me. This is a 100% true mystery that happened on December 26, 1900, on Eilean Mor, the outermost of the Flannan Islands in the outer Hebrides west of northern Scotland. The relief boat that was bringing fresh supplies and a relief man, Joseph Moore, were aware something was amiss as they approached the island and nobody from the lighthouse was there to meet them. They landed and scrabbled up the great stone steps to the top of the island, and made their way to the men’s quarters. The table was set for dinner, but nobody was there. A chair of the table was lying on its side as if knocked over in an accident or a scuffle. The men’s beds looked as if they had not been slept in, the electricity was off, and the light in the tower was not lit. The men searched the island but found no-one...nobody at all.....this mystery has never been solved to this day... I wondered how the scriptwriters and story developers were going to approach this long-held unsolved mystery, and, upon seeing the trailers for the film, I also wondered how on earth three men, alone, but two who were old friends and taking a new admit into their fold could ever work out into a satisfying and tight story that would ever fit what we know of the true facts of the original case..... As always, I Never, Ever, present spoilers, etc in any review. I do not understand why people are so willing to “spill the beans” and give away the plot, etc of a film to somebody who has not seen it! I firmly believe in “You can only see a film the first time once” so why on earth spoil that for somebody??? So, again, “No Spoilers Here”..... My Review... The film opens with Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald MacArthur readying themselves and saying their good-byes to their families and friends prior to leaving for Eilean Mor for their 6-weeks of duty. Upon their approach and movement to the top of the island we get a real good look at, and feel for, just what a barren and harsh piece of remote rock they are stationed upon. The only thing on the Mor is an old chapel from years before when shepherds used to graze their sheep there, before the light was built, that they sheltered in and prayed together in. Now, as we know in this life with its many twists, sometimes good things happen to bad people....and often bad things happen to good people, and as usual, life can sometimes throw a roll of the dice that seem not to fit anything at all for any reason. And, too, many times the weakest of us can be quite strong and the strongest of us can crumble for seemingly no reason at all. We get a “full hand of cards here” and they are played by all involved, sometimes with skill, some not so much, but isn’t that human nature. The story as presented is scary and creepy enough, with some genuinely nail-biting stress, in fact downright terrifying interactions, that push the conditions continually up a notch...and then another notch, and again another. Yet, knowing what I knew from history of the events of 1900 I was continually at a loss how this could possibly play out correctly... But it does, and I must say that it is a masterful stroke and one that does not take away from the known details of the story from December 1900. Masterful, just masterful. Many have panned this magnificent work, which I feel is a sorrowful misjudgment on their part. We are dealing with a most unordinary story, a mystery, that has taken place in one of the harshest, most remote of desolate places under the most brutal of weather and storm conditions that anybody could ever expect to face, or perhaps survive even. The steady mix of “off” that we are presented with every so often, the potential for horrible happenings, and the scary thrill of genuine danger and peril brings us to the sheer breaking point, yet we come to a conclusion that is in keeping with what we know for a result of the evidence of the 1900 events..... A powerful, moving drama, a mystery, in keeping and worthy of what we know happened out there 119 years ago. Every aspect that I see in this masterfully crafted film is spot on, from the triangular pallet of grey, blue, and green is totally natural and fitting. All interior shots, appointments, etc, are also just “right” for surroundings for three men, hosteled together for 6-weeks alone at a time...everything fits. The shots inside the top of the light are just magnificent and I found it really great that those who perhaps have never been inside a lighthouse get to see just how wondrous this all works. The fresnel workings still blow my mind, and if I can inject a personal note here, how sad I find it that these grand old lights that these lonely men kept going day and night to keep sailors safe from running aground are now all automated....another great and honorable duty put to rest in our museums, closets to our past...sad, indeed. Anyway, please enjoy this truly magnificent film, it is worthy of your time. Read more