The Gorge is four movies in one. Some might describe this as a value-for-money proposition. But others might find it a bit all over the place. There is no doubt, however, that the film bites off more than it can chew. And in the age of snackable ‘content’, this could be construed as high praise. Directed by Scott Derrickson, a filmmaker who has routinely shown skill at elevating genre movies, The Gorge coasts by for the majority of its two-hour run-time on star-power alone. There are long stretches of plodding nonsense, yes, but the film’s biggest strength lies in its constant determination to be unpredictable — relatively speaking, at least. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy play Levi and Drasa, two snipers who are hand-picked to keep guard at watchtowers on opposite ends of a mysterious gorge. We aren’t told where the gorge is located, or what our heroes are even supposed to be guarding. In time, however, we learn that the facility is strategically located somewhere between America and Russia, and that protecting it from being discovered was one of the biggest objectives during the Cold War. Levi and Drasa have been drafted to keep watch for exactly a year, following which they’ll be replaced by two others.

The Apple TV+ movie, The Gorge, is an unexpected Valentine’s Day release. This, combined with the ongoing saga on Severance Season 2, has the streamer taking an unconventional approach to the day dedicated to romance. Written by Zach Dean, The Gorge is about the horrors hidden in the aforementioned valley, which has two highly trained operatives assigned to protect it. But the story shifts into a forbidden romance between the duo with unexpected results. The film shows how Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) are at the top of their games as snipers, even though their approach might be different. They are each chosen for a year-long gig defending a vast gorge, covered by a mysterious fog, in an unknown country. The previous guard, JD (Sope Dirisu), tells Levi as he hands off the post to him that the gorge is the “door to hell, and we’re standing guard at the gate.” So what lies beneath?