Monday, May 30, 2022

They are Entering HOSTILE TERRITORY

 



Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from writer/director Brian Presley, Saban Films and Well Go USA comes the story of a father who will not stop the search for his children in HOSTILE TERRITORY.

The Civil War has taken Jack Calgrove (Brian Presley) away from his family, becoming a prisoner, he does not know that his wife has passed away and his children had been labeled as orphans. Taken to a train headed West, the children about to enter territory that is dangerous.

Alice Beggs (Natalie Whittle) is a mother also looking for her child who is on the same train as Calgrove’s kids. Joining forces, they make their way across the territory to find them. What Calgrove does not know is that his eldest son Charlie (Jackson Presley) has found the children and is trying to keep them all alive until the families can be reunited.

But time is not on their side!

Presley as Calgrove goes off to war thinking he is doing the right thing by his family and never could have known what was about to happen. Learning of his wife’s death and his children on The Orphan Train, he is going to do whatever it takes to find them before they disappear into the unknown with no way to find them. Presley gives a tough as nails performance as a soldier and a father during a time when finding his children meant following a dangerous trail.

Whittle as Alice is a former slave who is searching for her own child that is on the train. Coming across Calgrove, it becomes clear that she is not going stand idly when she makes it clear to Calgrove that she is going to follow him to the end. Whittle gives us a strong performance and I enjoyed watching her stand her ground when everyone else wanted her to just stay put.

Presley as Charlie is the older brother who is also a soldier and discovers that his mother has died and has no way of reaching his father. He takes it upon himself to find his siblings and take them home again. This is a brother who is barely old enough to take care of himself in our era but back then, Presley gives us a character who knows what is right and I appreciated that.

Other cast include Emma Presley as Lizzy Calgrove, Olivia St. Peter as Addy, Scott L. Perez as Charles Stanton, Brea Bee as Sarah, Craig Tate as Desmond Richards, Emily Shenaut as Esther, Lorna Larkin as Mildred, Brianna Elias as Ingrid, Tim Cavanaugh as Ed Pagan, Daelyanna Benson as Mary, and Lyndell Chee as Shantu.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

Saban Films was launched in 2014 and has built an impressive slate of high-quality feature films distributed with partner Lionsgate. Focusing on talent-driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production to be released across multiple platforms. Films such as SISTER OF THE GROOM, FATMAN and BREACH are part of the wonderful Saban slate, and more information can be found at www.sabanfilms.com.

HOSTILE TERRITORY is a film that has so many levels – but mostly dedication to family on every level no matter if its mother or father. The love for their children is what guides them to take on territories and peoples who would want to do them harm. Nothing is going to stop them as they edge ever closer to finding who has gone missing.

There actually was such a thing called The Orphan Train which took children from crowded Eastern cities to homes in the Midwest. It is recorded that almost 250,000 children were on The Orphan Train from 1854 to 1929 and most of them were from poor families and immigrants and where they ended up was not always the new life the children anticipated.

This is an interesting telling of one family that was determined to stay together no matter what.

In the end – nothing will stop them!

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