It would be interesting to take a poll and learn if there is a consensus in choosing the most morally reprehensible resident of Sugar Mountain.

First, there is the brother named Miles who hikes into the wilderness on the false pretense that he is lost in an Alaskan winter; he thereby endangers the lives of the honest people who form a posse to save him.

Second, there is the other brother named Liam who is part of the plot, yet betrays his dear brother by sleeping with his girlfriend as the hoax is unfolding.

Third, there is the woman named Lauren who sleeps with both brothers and also seems to be the one coming up with new ideas for a scam to sell lies to the media about her two boyfriends. When she decides to hook up with Liam for a one-nighter, she is doing so with the full knowledge that she is sleeping with her step-brother, which should be factored into the voting.

Fourth, there is the local alcoholic sheriff and father of Lauren. He is on to the brothers' scam from the beginning, but is so incompetent that he is unable to arrest them.

Fifth, there is the ironically named character Joe Bright. With more brawn than brains, Big Joe is eventually undone by his stupidity, as he seeks to extort money from the two brothers.

The list goes on. The only truly likable character is sweet little Angie, who gives up an opportunity to travel to Paris in order pursue a romance with Liam. Unfortunately, Angie drops out of the film before it is half over.

While the scenic grandeur of Alaska was apparent in the film, the overall narrative design seemed amateurish. In casting, it was difficult to believe the character relationships: the three young people seemed far too old for their youthful characters, and the sheriff seemed far too young to be Lauren's father.

In the DVD version of "Sugar Mountain," there was included a fascinating short documentary entitled "Cold War." It told the story of female snipers originally recruited by Stalin during World War II. Apparently, the women continued to engage in terrorism in Alaska during the Cold War. That story might have served as a more engaging feature film for the producers of "Sugar Mountain."

I have been waiting a couple of years now to catch this film on TV, and when it was recently aired I made sure I taped it so that I could watch it with my undivided attention. With first rate stars such as Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes I was expecting a much better thriller than what was delivered. The director Richard Gray does not have an extensive resume, his previous mainstream film was the 2014 film titled "The Lookalike". I have not seen that one either yet. After watching his latest directorial film, Sugar Mountain I am in no hurry to watch The Lookalike.

This film started off pretty good, but don't let the film name or the film's suspenseful and artful cover fool you. It's nothing special and quickly goes from a zoom zoom to a putter putter.....and then pffffttt

I give it a 4 out 10 IMDB Rating

Two brothers (Drew Roy and Shane Coffey) and a girl (Haley Webb) in Alaska concoct a survivalist hoax to make easy money, but things don't go according to plan. Cary Elwes plays the sheriff, the girl's father, while Jason Momoa is on hand as an intimidating redneck.

"Sugar Mountain" (2016) is a drama/thriller in the mold of "A Perfect Plan" (1998),but with the setting & budget of "Into the Grizzly Maze" (2015) and "Hold the Dark" (2018). Some armchair critics have called the plot ridiculous, but it isn't; it's very believable. Look no further than Frederick Cook's fake 1908 conquest of Mount McKinley (now Denali) or the Colorado "balloon boy" hoax in 2009.

If you like any of those above three movies you'll like this one. The less I say the better. My title blurb tells all.

Anna Hutchison stands out on the female front, although her role is peripheral. Melora Walters is also on hand; you might remember her as George Costanza's date in the Seinfeld episode "The Hamptons." She was also the girl in the notorious kitchen scene in "Cold Mountain" (2003).

The movie runs 1 hour, 46 minutes, and was shot in the Seward, Alaska, region.

GRADE: B+/A-