Overview

• Vertical opened the thriller exclusively in U.S. theaters on Sept. 26 with an R rating and a roughly 97–98 minute runtime.
• Thompson plays Barb, a grieving Minnesotan who stumbles on a kidnapped teen, with Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca portraying the married captors.
• Reviewers highlight Thompson’s physical, largely wordless turn and the frigid atmosphere shaped by cinematographer Christopher Ross with a tense score by Volker Bertelmann.
• Recurring critiques point to a meandering plot, momentum-breaking flashbacks, and thin characterization for the hostage.
• In a new interview, Thompson says she is not launching an action career and describes the fights as practical survival; production filmed in Finland doubling for northern Minnesota.