245:. Brittan, now the most senior of the four soldiers, says that Neill wanted to use the morning as a resting period for the others. By nightfall, only Mann has caught up with the advance party. He explains that the rear party, now consisting of the supposed leaders of the expedition and three inexperienced Chinese soldiers, have already set up camp further down the mountain. Once again, Mayfield expresses serious concern, saying that "it's taken them fifteen hours to do a journey that took us three and they're still not here." He also highlighted how the rations had been carefully planned and wouldn't last if there were any more delays.
252:) and the three Chinese soldiers are camped to get permission from Neill to abseil into Low's Gully (which means going over 'The Point of No Return'). Neill agrees, but tells him to wait at the bottom. Mayfield protests, saying that he can only wait for a limited time. Exactly what happened in this conversation is left unclear. When Mayfield gets back to the top, Shearer makes it clear that he feels the advance party should wait. As the senior NCO, Brittan decides that if Mayfield wishes to abseil without the rear party, then they shouldn't wait.
202:, the highest peak in Malaysia, and descend down the steep cliff faces on the other side into Low's Gully and then trek through the valley. The group of ten split up, with the fitter members of the team continuing on to keep to their rations and on the assumption that the less fit members had given up on the descent. The less able members meanwhile, carried on assuming that the fitter members were waiting for them.
284:
in there. Nobody had raised the alarm however, as nobody knew they were missing. Neill hadn't even given a finishing date to the authorities. Brittan remembered that Neill had planned to stay close to the river throughout the expedition and advised the search and rescue teams of this. By flying the helicopter low and examining the river, the rear party are eventually found.
234:) suggests that the fitter members of the team continue on with the expedition as planned while the weaker members climb back down the mountain, drive to a village at the other end of the valley and work their way back up the river as a support group. Neill rejects the plan, leading to a confrontation between him and Mayfield.
291:
The film concludes by stating that Neill and Foster were severely criticised and that their leadership had been "flawed and over-ambitious". Meanwhile, Corporal
Brittan, Lance Corporal Mayfield and Lance Corporal Yiu Keung 'Kevin' Cheung all received commendations for their actions during the ordeal.
287:
Back in the present, Neill openly accuses
Brittan and Mayfield of condemning him to a "slow death by starvation". Mayfield counters this by saying Neill shouldn't have brought along the Chinese soldiers. Brittan stated that he made the right decision but for the wrong reasons: had he waited for them
275:
Eventually, after much climbing, Brittan, Shearer and Paige reach the river and eventually make their way out of the valley, exhausted and hungry but glad to be alive. After ensuring that
Shearer (who had also sustained an injury from a leech around his eye) was in hospital, Brittan and Page arrived
255:
After abseiling down, the advance party decide not to wait for their own safety and on the assumption that the rear party will not be able to abseil down. Shearer looks up at the cliff face with binoculars and finds the others but it isn't clear if they are moving up or down. Once again, he makes it
283:
After they have been driven into town, Mayfield and Mann meet with
Brittan and Page. Page angrily accuses them of abandoning an injured man "because you thought he'd hold you back". After Page leaves, Brittan explains to them that Neill had led his party into the gully after all and was now trapped
263:
During an abseil, the rope becomes loose, causing
Shearer to fall and badly injure his head. Fortunately, his legs aren't broken, meaning he can still walk. Nonetheless, the accident affects his strength and ability to continue. Mann also has an accident; when struggling through the undergrowth, he
279:
Back in the jungle, Mann is on the verge of a breakdown. Having recorded most of the ordeal on his video camera, he makes a goodbye message to his son Robert (he had previously named a waterfall after him) in a very emotional scene. Soon after
Mayfield finds Mann lying on the floor on the verge of
210:
The film largely tells the story of the expedition itself, but occasionally flashes to the present where the members of expedition are giving evidence in a military court. The enquiry is to determine which members were at fault for the failure of the expedition, meaning that the story is told in
267:
By this point, Neill and his party have realised that they are trapped in the gully without
Mayfield's technical expertise. They cannot continue without him, nor can they climb back up. They were running out of food and could only hope that someone had raised an alarm and was looking for them.
259:
Neill and Foster manage to get the
Chinese soldiers down and into the gully, but find that the others haven't waited. Brittan leaves them a note saying 'The advance party wishes you a pleasant journey. Keep smiling!' This angers Neill and Foster. Tensions are also rising in the advance party,
256:
clear that he wants them to wait but
Mayfield claims that they must be going back up while Brittan says that "if they are coming down, we waste at least two days waiting for them to catch up. If they're going up, we waste if for nothing. I don't think we can take the risk."
280:
giving up, telling him that he has found a way out. The two men emerge into a village where they are given food and water. An elderly woman treats Mann's infected wound with a traditional herbal medicine which appears to completely and instantly cure it.
271:
Meanwhile, one morning
Mayfield and Mann go on ahead but are told by Brittan to wait if they come to a fork in the track. When the other three reached a fork, they weren't to be seen. Mayfield and Mann claimed never to have seen a fork in the track.
264:
slips and badly cuts his hand on his machete. The cut becomes infected and starts to smell like "rotting meat". All members are becoming psychologically affected by the ordeal, something that isn't aided by the shortage of food.
230:), who is also the technical advisor on the expedition, expresses serious concern about the group's ability as a whole. Later that night, Neill feels that it is an appropriate time to "discuss things". Sergeant Bob Mann (
288:
they'd all have become trapped and no one would have looked for them, resulting in all their deaths. However, he didn't know this when he made the decision.
268:
However, Lance Corporal Yiu Keung 'Kevin' Cheung had been secretly conserving food in case of an emergency and gave some to Neill and Fostor.
211:
flashback as the men remember it. Initially, the soldiers are shown training while a voiceover by expedition leader Lt. Col. Robert Neill (
226:
When the expedition starts, it becomes clear that the level of fitness among its members varies greatly. Lance Corporal Richard Mayfield (
510:
525:
410:
515:
505:
220:
520:
500:
456:
448:
432:
403:
241:), Mayfield, Lance Corporal Steve Page (David Nellist) and Lance Corporal Peter Shearer (Phil McKee) make a
198:
expedition in Malaysia that made headlines in 1994 when it went badly wrong. The expedition was to climb up
113:
396:
248:
The next morning, Mayfield quickly climbs back down the mountain to where Neill, Major Ron Foster (
242:
464:
8:
495:
383:
388:
124:
420:
187:
32:
199:
489:
313:
227:
85:
472:
319:
307:
249:
216:
212:
195:
80:
325:
231:
98:
377:
301:
238:
191:
75:
42:
223:
soldiers and three Hong Kong Chinese soldiers on the expedition.
276:
at the hotel only to find that nobody else had booked in.
337:
Craig Shai Hee – Lance Corporal Yiu Keung 'Kevin' Cheung
418:
487:
404:
411:
397:
334:Phil McKee – Lance Corporal Peter Shearer
331:David Nellist – Lance Corporal Steve Page
260:especially between Shearer and Brittan.
362:Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995
488:
186:is a 1997 television film directed by
392:
237:The next day, Corporal Hugh Brittan (
354:
194:. It is a 'true story' account of a
215:) tells us that there will be five
13:
14:
537:
511:Films directed by Suri Krishnamma
371:
343:Raymond Ong – Private Lam Wai Kee
340:Augustine Lau – Private Wai Keung
316:– Lance Corporal Richard Mayfield
526:Television series by ITV Studios
516:London Weekend Television shows
1:
364:, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p121
347:
7:
10:
542:
427:
310:– Lt Colonel Robert Neill
171:
163:
153:
139:18 January 1997
130:
120:
104:
94:
68:
48:
38:
28:
23:
506:British television films
304:– Corporal Hugh Brittan
295:
205:
433:A Man of No Importance
521:ITV television dramas
501:1997 television films
441:The Place of the Dead
379:The Place of the Dead
183:The Place of the Dead
24:The Place of the Dead
419:Films directed by
360:Ed. Scott Murray,
322:– Major Ron Foster
175:$ 2.6 million
483:
482:
457:Wuthering Heights
179:
178:
18:1997 British film
533:
413:
406:
399:
390:
389:
365:
358:
221:Territorial Army
146:
144:
21:
20:
541:
540:
536:
535:
534:
532:
531:
530:
486:
485:
484:
479:
423:
421:Suri Krishnamma
417:
374:
369:
368:
359:
355:
350:
298:
208:
190:and written by
188:Suri Krishnamma
156:
149:
142:
140:
133:
116:
109:
107:
90:
64:
33:Suri Krishnamma
19:
12:
11:
5:
539:
529:
528:
523:
518:
513:
508:
503:
498:
481:
480:
478:
477:
469:
461:
453:
449:New Year's Day
445:
437:
428:
425:
424:
416:
415:
408:
401:
393:
387:
386:
373:
372:External links
370:
367:
366:
352:
351:
349:
346:
345:
344:
341:
338:
335:
332:
329:
328:– Sgt Bob Mann
323:
317:
311:
305:
297:
294:
219:soldiers, two
207:
204:
200:Mount Kinabalu
177:
176:
173:
169:
168:
167:United Kingdom
165:
161:
160:
157:
154:
151:
150:
148:
147:
136:
134:
131:
128:
127:
122:
121:Distributed by
118:
117:
112:
110:
105:
102:
101:
96:
92:
91:
89:
88:
83:
78:
72:
70:
66:
65:
63:
62:
59:
56:
55:Allison Malone
52:
50:
46:
45:
40:
36:
35:
30:
26:
25:
17:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
538:
527:
524:
522:
519:
517:
514:
512:
509:
507:
504:
502:
499:
497:
494:
493:
491:
475:
474:
470:
467:
466:
462:
459:
458:
454:
451:
450:
446:
443:
442:
438:
435:
434:
430:
429:
426:
422:
414:
409:
407:
402:
400:
395:
394:
391:
385:
381:
380:
376:
375:
363:
357:
353:
342:
339:
336:
333:
330:
327:
324:
321:
318:
315:
314:Dougray Scott
312:
309:
306:
303:
300:
299:
293:
289:
285:
281:
277:
273:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
251:
246:
244:
240:
235:
233:
229:
228:Dougray Scott
224:
222:
218:
214:
203:
201:
197:
193:
189:
185:
184:
174:
170:
166:
162:
158:
152:
138:
137:
135:
129:
126:
123:
119:
115:
111:
103:
100:
97:
93:
87:
86:Dougray Scott
84:
82:
79:
77:
74:
73:
71:
67:
60:
57:
54:
53:
51:
47:
44:
41:
37:
34:
31:
27:
22:
16:
473:Dark Tourist
471:
463:
455:
447:
440:
439:
431:
378:
361:
356:
320:John McArdle
308:Simon Dutton
290:
286:
282:
278:
274:
270:
266:
262:
258:
254:
250:John McArdle
247:
236:
225:
217:British Army
213:Simon Dutton
209:
196:British Army
182:
181:
180:
155:Running time
132:Release date
81:Simon Dutton
15:
326:Ralph Brown
232:Ralph Brown
99:Julian Nott
61:Simon Shaps
49:Produced by
29:Directed by
496:1997 films
490:Categories
348:References
243:head start
143:1997-01-18
106:Production
39:Written by
465:Locked In
302:Greg Wise
239:Greg Wise
192:Jeff Pope
76:Greg Wise
58:Jeff Pope
43:Jeff Pope
159:100 min.
95:Music by
69:Starring
164:Country
141: (
108:company
476:(2012)
468:(2010)
460:(2003)
452:(2001)
444:(1997)
436:(1994)
172:Budget
384:IMDb
296:Cast
206:Plot
382:at
125:ITV
114:LWT
492::
412:e
405:t
398:v
145:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.