High Ground (2021) | Film Review

To say a film that begins in 1919 before fast forwarding 12 years to 1931 for its duration is “timely” might seem a stretch at the outset, but the inherent themes presented in director Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground sadly prove just as relevant today as they did so many years ago. A dark, character-rich endeavor focusing on colonialism amidst the sprawling Australian Outback.

High Ground kicks off with a warm-hearted introduction to an Aboriginal family as they go about their every day affairs. Primal and loving, their time together is forever stained by the arrival of white men determined to enforce their own brand of frontier justice and ethics upon the region. The situation goes horribly awry and everyone is seemingly killed except for young Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul). Travis (Simon Baker), the team sharpshooter and notably the only person present with a conscience over these events, takes the boy back and places him with a missionary run by Claire (Caren Pistorius). Whatever chemistry there is between Travis and Caren is cast aside when she realizes Travis just took part in a horrific murder party, and Travis is in the wind.

Flash forward to 1931, and it turns out Gutjuk’s uncle, Baywara (Sean Mununggurr), also survived the massacre. Furthermore, Baywara has ravaged the settlers in the region as retribution. In order to stave off a full-scale war on the Aboriginal people, Travis agrees to return to help the leader of the original assault, Eddy (a devilishly maniacal Callan Mulvey), as he brings Baywara to justice. Travis convinces Gutjuk to assist, and alliances become tested as Gutjuk is forced to choose between his culture and his own morality as he works with Travis to bring peace to the region.

Cinematically, High Ground is stunningly shot.  Highlights of the Kakadu National Park are felt in every frame, and the Australian landscape emerges as an enigmatic side-character of the entire piece. Every rock and breath of dust paints an elaborate picture of Australia’s complicated history with the Aboriginal people. The title itself refers to Travis’ mandate that taking the high position controls the outcome of any conflict, and Stephen Maxwell Johnson wisely utilizes his camera to illustrate this as well. Tense material and a tragic story is deftly handled, and equates to a beautifully shot film all-around.

Simon Baker is light years away from his flippant charmer of The Mentalist as Travis, our tormented sharpshooter. Baker wears his naturally sun-baked skin with Travis’ character soaking through, living in his own agony while also realizing what he is doing now needs to be done or his Caucasian compatriots will wipe Gutjuk’s family from the region.

Speaking of, newcomer Jacob Junior Nayinggul delivers a conflicted and layered performance as Gutjuk. While Gutjuk struggles to find the complicated balance between his two worlds, he also discovers humanity in Travis, a man he holds responsible for the murder of his own family. It is a tricky dynamic for any actor to play, especially one so new to the scene. Nayinggul delivers a calculated mix of naiveté and growing gravitas that is necessary to fully invest in the eventual outcome.

Director Stephen Maxwell Johnson and screenwriter Chris Anastassiades have managed to assemble a gorgeously shot yet fairly simplistic revenge thriller, and they infuse it with enough richly diverse Australian historical complexities to even inspire a bit of research long after the credits roll. High Ground is worth seeking out.