Directed by James Bamford, High Ground is the story of a sheriff who decides to fight for justice and stand up against a dreaded criminal. The film does not give us much insight into the character’s past, which I believe was its biggest flaw. We never feel invested in the characters because we just don’t know who they are. So, if you want to watch a simple film where a sheriff goes on a mission and ends up saving the day, you might like this one. For others, I am not so sure. So, let’s find out what happened in the High Ground film and how Sheriff Jake Wilcott saved the day.
Spoiler Alert
Why was Marcus Novak after Nathaniel?
Jake Wilcott had recently become the sheriff of a small town in Colorado, and he knew that he had a huge responsibility on his hands. Jake’s father, Ezra, had been the sheriff for the last 35 years, and Jake knew that he had big shoes to fill. It was difficult for the people to accept the change since they were so used to going to Ezra whenever they had any problems. Through the brief conversation that Ezra had with his son, we came to know that Jake had served in the army, and due to something that had transpired there he has PTSD, but at no point in his life did he drown himself in self-pity. He knew that he was haunted by the ghost of his past life, and he never ran away from that fact. Jake liked to believe that, like every other person, he had his regrets, and he had to navigate his way through them instead of wallowing in grief and feeling miserable about himself. Jake’s subordinates, Sharon and Billy, had caught a man who was charged with overspeeding. The man had a mysterious aura about him. He quoted verses from the Bible, and he looked like a pastor. The moment Jake walked into the police station, that man told him that he was making a mistake by keeping him behind bars. Sharon and Jake did some background research, got in touch with the US marshal, and came to know that the man they had in custody was Nathaniel Matheson, an ex-member of a dangerous crime syndicate. After heading the syndicate for several years together with his partner, Marcus Novak, Nathaniel had a change of heart, and he decided to betray Marcus’ trust. After his daughter was born, Nathaniel decided to turn state witness as he wanted to do something in his life that his daughter would be proud of. Marcus obviously didn’t take his decision well, and he decided to hunt him down. Nathaniel knew how dangerous Marcus was, which is why he tried making Jake understand that it was in their best interest to let him go if they didn’t want the entire town to be reduced to ashes. But Jake was an honorable man, and he was not ready to do something that his conscience wouldn’t allow him to do.
What happened to Billy and Sharon?
Marcus wanted to get an idea about the kind of manpower the police had and what exactly he was dealing with before he waged war to capture Nathaniel. Now, Marcus, being the conniving schemer that he was, laid a trap, and Billy walked right into it. Since it was such a small town, the entire community was like one big family. The entire town knew who Billy was and that he was having a baby. Billy was leaving for his home when the officers found out that an abandoned SUV had been left by someone at some distance from the town, and the owner couldn’t be found. Billy went there and tested it, which was when he realized that somebody had set up a trap. Marcus and his men came and shot Billy. Marcus wanted to know how many police officers there were in the department so that he could make proper arrangements. Billy told them that there were 12 of them, probably because he wanted to scare them off. Marcus killed Billy and then went to Dan’s Diner, a local eatery, where Cassie, Jake’s love interest, worked as a waitress.
Marcus and his men arrived at the eatery, and coincidentally, Ezra was also present there at the time. It didn’t take long for Ezra to realize that those men didn’t have the best of intentions. While leaving, Ezra saw that the vehicle they were driving had a license plate from Illinois. Ezra knew that they had not come that far without any purpose. Ezra did not speak to them, but he went straight to the police station to check if everything was alright. That’s when Jake came back to the station, and he told everybody about what had happened. Jake, Ezra, and Sharon decided that it wouldn’t be safe for them to stay with Nathaniel at the station. It was decided that Jake and Ezra would take Nathaniel and go to their farm. Sharon decided to stay back at the station and coordinate with the US Marshal’s office from there. That was probably the biggest mistake she made. Moments after Jake left, Marcus and his men arrived at the station, and they killed Sharon in cold blood. Marcus then figured out where Jake was hiding, and he went there all guns blazing to find his old mate and make him meet his fateful end.
How Did Nathaniel Die?
Jake realized that he couldn’t hide from the cartel criminals, and there was no point in waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Cassie also came with Ezra as she didn’t want to leave Jake alone, and moreover, she knew that she would be able to help his cause. Nathaniel requested Jake to give him a gun, as he knew that the latter would need all the help he could get in order to stop Marcus. Jake didn’t trust Nathaniel, but the look in his eyes made him realize that the man wasn’t lying. So Jake gave Nathaniel a gun, and they got ready to welcome Marcus. Marcus, on the other hand, had no clue that four people would be able to wreak such havoc and give him such a tough fight.
In High Ground’s ending, Nathaniel and Marcus came face to face, and they both shot each other. Jake arrived at the scene, and he made Marcus throw aside his weapon. Had it not been for Nathaniel, I believe that Marcus and his men would have killed Jake. In the end, Marcus and all his men were killed, but unfortunately, Jake wasn’t able to save Nathaniel’s life. Jake’s father, Ezra, also got shot, but he was lucky enough that the bullet didn’t hit any vital organs. Jake told Cassie and Ezra that it was Nathaniel who had saved his life. Maybe Nathaniel wasn’t able to testify against Marcus in court, but he was able to do something that I believe his daughter would be extremely proud of. He successfully took down an unhinged criminal. After the incident, I believe that the town accepted Jake as their sheriff, and I hope that he, too, was able to move past the trauma that haunted him.
