The Rover
Genre : Action/Adventure
Year : 2014
Director : David Michod
Screenplay : David Michod
Starring : Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy

This lean and moody drama is set in the near future following the collapse of the World’s economy, leaving a Mad Max-style world in which everyone is out for themselves.

Three men (apparently named Henry, Caleb and Archie, though I didn’t catch the names during the film) escape from a shooting in a truck, leaving Henry’s brother Rey (Robert Pattinson) apparently dying. Henry isn’t happy about it but the others tell him to forget it, they have to keep going. During a disagreement the truck crashes and gets stuck, so Archie pinches a car and they continue in that.

Unfortunately for them the car belongs to Eric (Guy Pearce), a violent, determined and unforgiving individual whose whole life then focuses on getting his car back. To do this he manages to get the crashed truck going.

We get very little back story to any of the men involved, including Rey who survives and joins the party. Life doesn’t mean much to any of them and the proportion of fatal shootings to characters in the movie must be as high as it has ever been.

It’s relentless and no-one is safe. At one point Eric tells Rey that he should never forget a life he has taken, because it’s a big deal, which is a bit rich for someone who kills at will. When a dwarf asks him for $300 for a gun, and adds that if he doesn’t pay he can “F*ck Off” the answer is to blast the dwarf’s brains against the wall.

It might have benefited from a bit more plot than just – man wants to get truck back – but the performances are strong and there is no letup. I know Pattinson is a teen hero but I didn't know much about him - he's very mannered here, twitching and mumbling but quite memorable.

7 out of 10 -

mike@mikes-movies.co.uk

A COLLECTION OF INDEPENDENT FILM & MOVIE REVIEWS BY MIKE HUNTER
Thanks to David Kinvig for the header cartoon

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