A young man resorts to questionable (illegal) methods to be with his love in writer-director Alec Douglas’ short thriller, Goin’ Up. In the not-so-distant future, the Earth is overpopulated and downright dangerous. The wealthy in the world are now living in an affluent colony on the moon, leaving a desperate population scrambling to find the money to join the elite.
Marcus (Tyson Brown) is a young man at his wit’s end after learning his girlfriend is heading to the moon with her family. Desperate, Marcus joins as the last member of a bank heist crew preparing for the “final job” that can send Marcus to the moon. Of course, bank robberies are never simple, especially when your leader is the slightly insane and sadistic Jackson (Jack Wooton). This theft seems to be about more than money.

“…a young man at his wit’s end after learning his girlfriend is heading to the moon…”
Running at just over twenty minutes, Goin’ Up is a thriller showcase for Douglas. He sets the stakes for our hero right from the start. Young Marcus is in love and needs to get off the planet… look, the sci-fi spin is a nice touch but may be a bit overblown. However, the filmmaker aptly uses various thriller elements. He wisely intercuts the heist with flashbacks of Marcus slowly succumbing to his dark side. Would it surprise you that a few double crosses are in store for our hero?
Goin’ Up is a decent thriller with a good storyline and solid performances from the cast, especially Tyson Brown in the lead. Personally, I’d like the camera work to be less shaky, but Douglas adeptly plays around with fast action edits that, for the most part, work. The film’s only weaknesses are the small budget and the low rep count for the emerging filmmaker. Still, this indie action thriller establishes the fact that Douglas is ready for his next cinematic adventure.