GUENOT PHILIPPE At first sight, it seems to be a Disney Channel stuff, a movie destined to kids and families for matinees shows. But, believe me, it is not. The first part is rather lousy, flat and uninteresting but the following is worth watching. You have different paces in this TV film. This is definitely a survival and the natural settings are beautiful. But I am not sure that this was so close to the actual events it was inspired from. This was much fiction, more spectacular than the reality, for obvious reasons. The final sequence is mind blowing, unforgettable. So, before showing it to your kids, beware. Yes, the most unusual here is the difference of paces, some parts for children, and other destined to adults, and not sissies. Curious but highly interesting. Great Aussies piece of work. Some elements are difficult to be believed in. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERSAfter the kids, stabbed to last gangster to death in the most brutal way, bloody feast, the return to their school duties, as if nothing happened. I am not sure that this really happened this way. And the last image of this terrific little movie is also unforgettable.

whatwazdat At 12 years old, this movie rocks! At 35, it's illogical. LOL. When I saw this movie as a kid, I was fully immersed. Probably due to the fact that children identify with children. So I remember the movie was more thrilling and tense. As an adult, the movie annoyed me. LOL. I wanted to hear more about this RANSOM plot. What were the masked men thinking? How was this a good plan at all? Why did they leave them unattended at the cave? Then they left them unattended again with just one guard at the barn. Then finally, the left then unattended again in the last cave scene. Instead of getting the kids, which I thought was the objective, the masked men stood outside the cave making taunting noises. I thought they wanted to kidnap them? What is going on here? Of course it's give and take. Though the movie is illogical in terms of the action sequences, as an adult, I can understand the subtle themes. I saw hints of LORD OF THE FLIES, which is pretty deep for a TV movie. What happens when you're left alone with nature, but with no law and authority? Just like LORD OF THE FLIES, the children almost became savages in the end. Also, one of the girls was not quite a girl anymore and was growing up. These are subtleties that you don't get when you're 12 years old viewing this movie.So though it's not quite as enjoyable as when I was young, at least now, I have a full comprehension, and it's still a great nostalgic flick.

jiansulee I'm yet another 80's kid who saw this on TV and was scared witless but didn't know the name of the movie and eventually couldn't recall if it was real or just a bad nightmare (a nightmare that happened to recur on and off for the following 2 decades!!!). The masked kidnappers left permanent scars on my 8 yr old psyche, still have vivid flashbacks of the the farmhouse scenes, and am now reminded of the nerve-wracking cave swimming escape too. I must have shut off the movie before the ending, but now, 20 years later, I am happy to know they defeated the villains, albeit quite gruesomely. Thank you internet and IMDb for connecting me to the name of the movie as well as other traumatized viewers! Also, so relieved to know I didn't make the whole thing in my head.

The_Void What we have here is a fairly obscure little made for Australian TV movie that takes a common plot (kidnap) and moulds an interesting little morality tale around it. The theme seen in this film was previously seen in classics such as The Virgin Spring, and later The Last House on the Left, except here it arguably more shocking (though much less visceral) as there are children involved. The question that the movie asks is whether or not it is OK to "do unto others as they do unto you", though it never actually makes a judgement on this and the audience is left to decide - which makes the film instantly more interesting than morality tales that preach to the viewer (recent Oscar winner Crash is a good example of how badly that can turn out). The plot focuses on a school teacher and her class. Their ordinary day is ruined when men with guns decide to take them all hostage and hold them for ransom. They manage to escape the kidnappers, but find themselves running out of steam as every escape attempt is thwarted. They soon realise that the best to get away from the villains may not be to run, but to stand and fight...This film works because the plot is kept simple and this allows us to focus on the important points that the story has to make. The characters we are introduced to are all likable and believable also; and this again helps to convey the film's message as we can understand why they have been lured into the situation that they find themselves in. The acting in the film is decent considering it's a TV movie. Rachel Ward plays the part of the school teacher well, and definitely seems to have a rapport with the children. A Problem that often befalls films like this is that the child actors tend to be annoying; but surprisingly, this film manages to avoid slipping into that pitfall as even the kids manage decent performances! The first half of the movie doesn't feature a lot in the way of excitement, but things really hot up in the second half and the ending is certainly worth waiting for. I can't say that this is a great movie, but it's certainly a very good one and one that fans of horror/thrillers will certainly want to check out!