The Trail (2013)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

If you want your weekly dose of women being portrayed as weak, racism towards native Americans, unrealistic perceptions of rage towards God and zero concept of surviving a long trek in the winter this movie is for you. The actress is shown to not think traveling to CA to be wise but doesn't argue with her husband who constantly shuts her down because she needs to "support" him like a good little silent Christian woman. The woman doesn't even try to save her husband who is pointlessly killed by native Americans and they don't even go through their belongings. She aimlessly wanders through the woods like a little girl who has no concept of the situation she is in. Like she brings a huge portion of lace but no blanket. She doesn't bother taking any of her husbands clothes or a coat, gloves, socks or good shoes. And somehow survived a winter in basically a night gown and slippers with heels. She carries a huge wooden suitcase filled with none sense but can't manage other basic physical strength requirements. She also never attempts to make shelters at night or stay out of the elements.

This movie has taken a lot of heat for historical inaccuracies and unrealistic circumstances (among other things). Still, it offers a good moral theme and does tell a compelling story without ruining the aforementioned with some sort of predictable, clichéd ending. It's worth a watch if you're the more patient type of viewer who enjoys an intellectual movie experience. Sit back and employ your "film reading" skills with this one. There's lots of symbolism. Though it does fall short on the type of action sequences that less sophisticated, mainstream audiences require these days, it does not disappoint with tension.

We watched this on Netflix. Pros- no swearing/nudity/excess violence. The lead actress was very good. The film did hold our attention till the end. Cons- the other actors were pretty bad, especially the husband. The plot was pretty implausible. She survived on warm water for weeks? She never encountered the Indians again? She didn't get severe frostbite or hypothermia? Why didn't she take more clothing from the corpses she encountered? Irritating little inaccuracies abound. She wakes up with 'snowflakes' on her face. The snow would have melted. If snowflakes aren't melting on your face you are probably dead. Overall, it was an OK movie. Nothing super great or inspiring.

The historical inaccuracies have been documented by others and there were many.One thing that bothered me particularly was the concept of a lone women, alone in the west, in winter, wearing only a light dress that never seemed to soil. She would have been dead in a day. I kept waiting for her to find some warm clothing so I could get past that.Her random encounters with dead, white people while wandering the woods also strained credulity. It's unlikely that most people would have left the established trail. Her chance meeting with the Indian boy was also a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment, however that seems to be explained (to a point) at the end.And regarding the end, from the way her husband spoke of "rumors" of gold out west, it was likely the winter of 1848-49, because after that it wasn't a few people following rumors, there was a full on migration. Even if it was 1849-50 or 50-51, what is a large, thriving settlement doing in the middle of the Rocky Mountains? I give it plus for the scenery and the Indian attack was well done as far as being a tense moment. Then again, they probably would have checked the wagon for guns, ammo, tools and food and found her. They killed her husband, grabbed the horses and left without looking inside the wagon?And food. They were on a months long journey and the only food she had along was a small bag of grits or oatmeal (or whatever it was) and a handful of beans? Same for the other wagon she encountered. No food inside at all?I got it at the end this movie was not made for general audiences, but for the "faithful". That audience will probably explain away all of the inconsistencies as god watching out for her, and they might like it.As for me, I thoroughly enjoy these "lone person surviving the odds" movies - when they are well done. This movie was not.