''On Hostile Ground'' is a 2000
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
starring
John Corbett
John Joseph Corbett Jr. (born May 9, 1961) is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on ''Sex and the City'' (2000–2003), ...
. Directed by
Mario Azzopardi
Mario Philip Azzopardi (born 19 November 1950) is a Canadian-Maltese television director, television and film director and writer.
Early life and emigration
Azzopardi was born in Siggiewi, Malta, and was educated at St Aloysius' College (Malta), S ...
, the film originally aired on
TBS on June 11, 2000.
Plot
John Corbett stars as Matt Andrews, a
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
who is asked to investigate why there have been two large
sinkholes
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
affecting the city of
.
Jessica Steen
Jessica Steen is a Canadian actress in both film and television, noted for her roles in ''Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'', '' Homefront'', '' Earth 2'', ''Armageddon'', '' Left Behind: World at War'', '' NCIS'', '' Flashpoint'' a ...
plays Corbett's girlfriend Allison Beauchamp, assistant to the Mayor, who has to decide whether the problems with the sinkholes will spread far enough to require that the remainder of
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
be cancelled, which would be a complete economic disaster to the city.
Matt has a number of personal issues because of a disaster which happened at a mine he was advising on its operations. Although cleared of responsibility for the accident, he still blames himself, which may be causing him to be overcautious. Matt admits the potential problem of the sinkholes becoming so serious as to endanger the city could occur next week, or not for three hundred years. Based on the lack of real evidence of immediate danger, and because some evidence that she should have received has been destroyed by the mayor's political flack, Allison has decided not to close the festival, only to have the disaster metastasize, like a cancer devouring the city's underground.
The only answer is to obtain several tons of polyurethane liquid in 2 compounds which when combined produces an expanding foam that will fill the huge sinkhole cavern. The
polyurethane
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...
expanding foam reaction is able to expand to hundreds of times its size, and becomes as hard as concrete afterwards. Due to an emergency, while Matt is underground inspecting the caverns, he becomes partially trapped, and has to ask to have the foam started (which will kill him if he can't find an escape) because if they don't start the flow of the liquid immediately, the ground underneath downtown New Orleans will collapse similar to the effects of
soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction occurs when a cohesionless saturated or partially saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress such as shaking during an earthquake or other sudden change in stress condition, in ...
and thousands to tens of thousands of people will be injured or killed. The last few minutes of the film become a race against time as Matt attempts to find an exit before the polyurethane foam envelops him.
The film points to an event that would happen five years after the movie was made. Matt points out the sinkholes, if they do fail and open up, could be as serious a disaster to the city as if its levees collapsed, an event that did happen as a result of
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
in 2005.
Cast
* John Corbett as Matt Andrews
*
Jessica Steen
Jessica Steen is a Canadian actress in both film and television, noted for her roles in ''Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'', '' Homefront'', '' Earth 2'', ''Armageddon'', '' Left Behind: World at War'', '' NCIS'', '' Flashpoint'' a ...
as Allison Beauchamp
*
Brittany Daniel
Brittany Ann Daniel (born March 17, 1976) is an American actress. She is the twin sister of photographer and former actress Cynthia Daniel
Cynthia Lynn Daniel (married name: Cynthia Hauser) is an American photographer and former actress. ...
as Cindy Evers
*
Ardon Bess
Ardon Bess (born 1941) is a Canadian actor best known for appearing in a Heritage Moment television commercial about the 1958 Springhill mining disaster portraying survivor Maurice Ruddick.
Early life and education
Bess was born in Kingstown, ...
as Smiley
*
Eugene Clark as Mayor John Lafitte
* Ron Gabriel as Councilman
* Quancetia Hamilton as Mrs. Smiley
* Derwin Jordan as Remy
* Andrew Kraulis as Dalton
* Shawn Lawrence as Andre
* Roger McKeen as Jimmy Gutro, PW Supervisor
*
Peter Stebbings
Peter Stebbings is a Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter best known for portraying Kevin Sharp in the drama series ''Madison (TV series), Madison'', Paul Deeds in the series ''Traders (TV series), Traders'', and for writing an ...
as George Regan
Production notes
''On Hostile Ground'' was filmed in New Orleans,
Stouffville,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Uxbridge, Ontario
Uxbridge is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham in south-central Ontario, Canada.
Communities
The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge. Other settlements within the township include Altona, Coppin' ...
, and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
It is noted that there are a number of errors in the making of the film. Despite the fact that New Orleans is actually below sea level, the movie shows sinkholes in a cavern extending more than underground, and bone dry, despite the fact that virtually any digging underground in the real New Orleans would result in flooded ground.
External links
* {{IMDb title, id=0220760, title=On Hostile Ground
2000 television films
2000 films
American disaster films
Canadian television films
English-language Canadian films
Films directed by Mario Philip Azzopardi
Films set in New Orleans
Films shot in New Orleans
Films shot in Toronto
TBS original films
2000s American films
2000s Canadian films