It's fitting that Triangle, writer/director Christopher (Creep, Severance) Smith's latest and most ambitious film, is being released by First Look Studios on DVD and Blu-ray on Groundhog Day in North America. To say more than that would be doing a disservice to a tight pshychological thriller whose only problem, if you could call it that, may be that it is too clever by half.

It's a beautiful day when Jess (Melissa George, 30 Days of Night, Turistas), the single mother of an autistic boy, joins a group of friends for an afternoon of pleasure cruising on her friend Greg's (Michael Dorman, Daybreakers) yacht. The first clue that something isn't right comes when she arrives without her son in tow and complains of not feeling well. Then, just as she starts to loosen up and have some fun, a freak storm capsizes the boat and one of the gang goes missing. They manage to board a passing cruise ship with the hope of finding their lost friend, but it appears to be deserted. Jess can't shake the feeling that she's been here before, though, and they soon realize that they're not alone and that somebody has it in for them. It's at this point that everything takes a left turn and we're thrust into a well thought-out mind game of a film that begs the viewer's full attention in order to piece together what's going on. And having to pay attention to Triangle is no problem at all, as George delivers a fantastic performance that runs the gamut of emotions from confusion to rage, despair to malice, happiness to psychosis.

Smith's first two films were entertaining romps that focused on monsters and gore (Creep) and comedy smothered in blood (Severance), but Triangle is a more serious-minded film, with plenty of psychological twists and turns. This is not to say that there aren't some moments of levity and some well-placed shocking moments for horror fiends, but it's the tension and atmosphere that really help propel the story along. Smith wears his influences on his sleeve: the long corridor shots and the gaudy ballroom on the ship look like something out of The Shining, while the fact that much of the action takes place on a deserted ocean liner may seem too close to the likes of Death Ship and Ghost Ship for comfort, but Smith somehow manages to add all these admittedly unoriginal (by this point in time, anyway) concepts together and turn it all into a wholly original and thought-provoking thriller.

The disc: If you've got the set-up, watching Triangle on Blu-ray disc is the way to go. In full 1080P hi-def with Dolby True HD sound, the visuals are to die for, especially in the first act on the yacht, while the sound will make you feel like you're there with the ship-wrecked group of characters, trying to escape certain death.
As for special features, there's nothing other than a throwaway 8-minute "Cast and Crew Interviews" featurette, which is a shame, as a director's commentary would have been a great way to let Smith discuss and explain the story, which took him two years to write. And for some of the visual tricks from the film, a making-of featurette would have been welcomed. This shortcoming in terms of features shouldn't deter you from seeing Triangle, though. The twists and turns of the plot are more than enough to warrant seeing it at least once.

Final Thoughts: Having had its world premiere at London's FrightFest film festival in 2009, Triangle for some strange reason never did make it out of Europe to grace theaters in North America. But thanks to the good folks over at First Look Studios, we can at least see it in the comfort of our own homes, and it's quite possible that this might be the best place to watch Triangle, as you may need to rewind and re-watch certain parts in order to let it sink in. Highly recommended, especially if you've seen and liked Spanish writer/director Nacho Vigalondo's award-winning Timecrimes.

Originally reviewed at www.ioncinema.com