After his best friend’s death during a mountain bike race, Joe goes into hiding. After a while, his friend Pablo sets up a race for big money in South America, with Joe’s girlfriend Stephanie convinces him to go do the race and enjoy his trip. Once there, they go for a training ride. While on the mountain, they hear gunshots and find a man in need of help. Assisting him only leads them to be hunted by the local bad guys.
Directed by Patricio Valladares who also co-wrote the film with Barry Keating who wrote the screenplay, the film takes good advantage of their mountain settings and the fact that the leads are athletes. The film builds characters with a close relationship for good or bad, which makes what happens to them affect the others and makes it logical that they would try to protect each other. The bad guys start a bit generic but once the film gets into its final act, a few surprises about them makes them more interesting. The mayhem created by these characters, the way they hunt people creates suspense and tension, giving more oomph to the killings.
The leads of Joe and Stephanie are well cast, the parts going to Bryce Draper and Natalie Burn. Burn gives a good performance, is badass, and is a gorgeous sporty woman. Draper also does well with his conflicted and flawed character. Supporting them are Ignacia Allamand as Magdalena and Ariel Levy as Pablo who both do well in their parts. The group of bad guys is big and varied with the lead baddie coming across scarier and more menacing. He is interpreted by Luke Massy who is reminiscent of Jeff Bridges in some scenes.
The cast of Downhill is supported by the cinematography and effects. The cinematography by Cristian Alivenegas showcases the beauty of the mountains and the scenery the characters are being chased in. The use of natural lighting or ambient (looking) lighting is great. The special effects by makeup designer Jorge Mella and visual effects by Juan Pablo Arrigada bring the horror of what is attacking them. These effects are gross and effective; they work well for the film and the settings.
The film is partially shot on GoPro at the start, but it thankfully stops pretty quickly to be replaced by cameras film only. The acting is good and the forest settings are beautiful while the effects are gross with a bit of body horror. The use of sporty characters helps it make sense when they are running for their lives and managing well. The film is a good take on the tourism horror sub-genre.