When it comes to chase movies, we know what it is that the audience wants to see.
As critically panned as they may be, you cannot deny that films such as "Gone in 60 Seconds" or "The Fast and the Furious", even if their scripts are sub-par, get your adrenaline pumping once they peel out into a 120mph chase down a busy city street.
Some films can combine a great story along with exhilarating chase sequences such as "The Bourne Ultimatum" or "Terminator 2: Judgement Day".
This film... had neither.
When I first viewed the trailer, I knew the deal. It seemed like a film that would be lacking in story, but the bike chase sequences were what were really being sold to the audience.
I was correct in my first assumption. The story was amateur. The time flashbacks were lazy and hardly did anything to add to the story. In fact, most of the time they would completely kill the film's flow. It took too long to get into the actual plot, and even after we got to the end of the first act, when the real chase begins, we are not invested enough in the characters to stick with them.
As for the characters, it would even be too much to call them clichés. There was so little there, I do not even know if they could constitute as actual characters. The relationship between Levitt and Ramirez was paper thin at best and gave us absolutely no stakes in actually wanting these characters to either succeed or end up together.
Michael Shannon's performance was the one silver lining, injecting some fear and humor into a script that seems like a first draft. Levitt was fine, but there was not enough written for his character to showcase his talent.
Now, the chase scenes...
As I mentioned above, some films, while their story may be lacking, put the bulk of their effort into crafting impressive and exhilarating chase scenes.
Never have I seen a chase film directed with such little energy or passion.
They had no tension. The editing was not used to the film's advantage, opting for long cuts rather than quick, sharp editing. Most the the "chase" scenes involved Levitt's character merely biking at medium scene through traffic.
The scene where Levitt's character races a fellow bike messenger through a park has to have been the most lackluster and bland races I have ever seen in any film. Ever.
I am amazed at the positive reception that the film is receiving and suppose I could chalk it up to the talent involved. However, I think that makes the film that much more tragic.
David Koepp has been attached to some pretty decent projects including "Jurassic Park" and "Panic Room", but by no means is he a spectacular screenwriter.
Still, you'd think a writer who has been in the business for over twenty years would have been able to bring even a little bit of substance to his latest script.
Letting him direct may have been the mistake. The two films I mentioned above were directed by masters: Spielberg and Fincher, respectively. Looking back, neither of the scripts were incredible, but were brought to new heights life through the eyes of a great director.
Perhaps in the hands of a more experienced director, this film could have been something special given the acting talent of both Levitt and Shannon.
In the end, this film could at least have been a fun flick, but the tonal shifts and waste of talent hardly even grant this film the cost of the ticket.
Skip it. You are not missing much.
As critically panned as they may be, you cannot deny that films such as "Gone in 60 Seconds" or "The Fast and the Furious", even if their scripts are sub-par, get your adrenaline pumping once they peel out into a 120mph chase down a busy city street.
Some films can combine a great story along with exhilarating chase sequences such as "The Bourne Ultimatum" or "Terminator 2: Judgement Day".
This film... had neither.
When I first viewed the trailer, I knew the deal. It seemed like a film that would be lacking in story, but the bike chase sequences were what were really being sold to the audience.
I was correct in my first assumption. The story was amateur. The time flashbacks were lazy and hardly did anything to add to the story. In fact, most of the time they would completely kill the film's flow. It took too long to get into the actual plot, and even after we got to the end of the first act, when the real chase begins, we are not invested enough in the characters to stick with them.
As for the characters, it would even be too much to call them clichés. There was so little there, I do not even know if they could constitute as actual characters. The relationship between Levitt and Ramirez was paper thin at best and gave us absolutely no stakes in actually wanting these characters to either succeed or end up together.
Michael Shannon's performance was the one silver lining, injecting some fear and humor into a script that seems like a first draft. Levitt was fine, but there was not enough written for his character to showcase his talent.
Now, the chase scenes...
As I mentioned above, some films, while their story may be lacking, put the bulk of their effort into crafting impressive and exhilarating chase scenes.
Never have I seen a chase film directed with such little energy or passion.
They had no tension. The editing was not used to the film's advantage, opting for long cuts rather than quick, sharp editing. Most the the "chase" scenes involved Levitt's character merely biking at medium scene through traffic.
The scene where Levitt's character races a fellow bike messenger through a park has to have been the most lackluster and bland races I have ever seen in any film. Ever.
I am amazed at the positive reception that the film is receiving and suppose I could chalk it up to the talent involved. However, I think that makes the film that much more tragic.
David Koepp has been attached to some pretty decent projects including "Jurassic Park" and "Panic Room", but by no means is he a spectacular screenwriter.
Still, you'd think a writer who has been in the business for over twenty years would have been able to bring even a little bit of substance to his latest script.
Letting him direct may have been the mistake. The two films I mentioned above were directed by masters: Spielberg and Fincher, respectively. Looking back, neither of the scripts were incredible, but were brought to new heights life through the eyes of a great director.
Perhaps in the hands of a more experienced director, this film could have been something special given the acting talent of both Levitt and Shannon.
In the end, this film could at least have been a fun flick, but the tonal shifts and waste of talent hardly even grant this film the cost of the ticket.
Skip it. You are not missing much.