In Jericho Ridge, injured US Deputy Officer, Tabby Temple is called into the Clay County Sherrif’s office to work dispatch for a few hours. Despite a busted ankle, which requires Tabby to walk with a crutch, she turns up at the station dressed for duty and ready for her shift.
Upon arrival, Tabby learns the Sheriff’s office has been broken in to, and someone has taken a collection of weapons. With police guns now out in the public domain, her colleagues are keen to track them down as quickly as possible.
With Tabby left to look after the office alone, she gets her head down and prepares to work. For a short while it’s business as usual until there is a call at the front door, which Tabby believes is a locksmith.
The locksmith has been scheduled to arrive, so Tabby lets him in and allows him to conduct his task of replacing the broken locks in the building. However, Tabby soon discovers she is mistaken about the man’s identity, and before long Tabby finds herself in a deadly situation and a shoot out at the station.
Written and directed by Will Gilbey, Jericho Ridge stars Nikki Amuka-Bird, Zack Morris, Simon Kunz, Chris Reilly, and Philipp Christopher. The movie is a low budget survivalist thriller, which lands in UK cinemas on Thursday 25th April, and will be available to watch on digital download from Monday 29th April.
Simple, yet effective, Jericho Ridge is a decent and pretty solid little thriller. It takes a good cast, and a straightforward premise, and makes the most out of what it has.
It does take a little while to get into the main swing of things, and it’s not particularly original, but once it hits its stride Jericho Ridge is enjoyable to watch. It’s one of those movies which does exactly what it says it will do, and if that’s what you want from a film, then you should be satisfied.
Nikki Amuka-Bird takes on the part of Tabby Temple and is great in the role. Amuka-Bird is a strong lead who plays a convincing injured cop, and she really commands the screen.
Whether it is during the early stages of the movie when she’s working the phones and interacting with her fellow officers, or the latter sections of the picture when she’s hobbling around with her gun blazing, the actress sells her part convincingly. Amuka-Bird helps to steer the movie at all times, and she makes Tabby a likeable lead.
Jericho Ridge also benefits from good direction, with writer/director Will Gilbey delivering a decent mix of action and suspense. Once again, Jericho Ridge isn’t going to win any awards for originality, but Gilbey makes a good job of this picture, and demonstrates potential for the future.
Jericho Ridge is Gilbey’s first full-length movie as director, having previously directed a collection of shorts, as well as a segment in the 2018 anthology picture, Blood, Sweat and Terrors. Based on how he handles Jericho Ridge, it’ll be interesting to see him develop his skills further and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Ultimately Jericho Ridge is one of those Friday night movies best watched with a beer and a curry. It’s not a film to build your night around, but it is a movie which provides ample entertainment.
Taking cues from ’70s classic, Assault on Precinct 13, as well as many other siege movies of the past, Jericho Ridge has been done before, but it is perfectly fine stuff. Writer/director Will Gilbey does his best with a limited budget and the end result is a workable B-movie with enough action to keep things ticking along nicely.
__
__
Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a comment