First off, I am a great fan of The Hitcher (Director Robert Harmon's best film in my view) and Jim Caviezel (superb actor). So you would think Highwaymen was made especially for me. I saw the trailer a while back and it looked right down my street. However - it was quite hard to get here in Ireland but eventually I picked it up in GameStop for 8 Euro - good value. Or so I thought.
The start was great - straight in, no messing around. Caviezel's wife is killed by a hit and run in a thrilling opening scene. The fact that not one word is uttered for the first 8 minutes of screen time but yet the effect on the audience is not diminished is testament to the director's handling. In fact 15 minutes go by before Caviezel says his first words - not bad work for a 77 minute film.
However, things go downhill from the beginning.
The tunnel crash seemed a little lethargic and contrived for me. Full marks to what seems like a non-CGI aided stunt but the action was a little stunted (excuse the pun) and looked like slow motion. then we start getting into the realms on unbelievability. 1. Macklin has to show ID as a cop to get through a cordon of cops outside the tunnel. Who is already inside? Wandering around untroubled? Caviezel. How did he get in?
2. Caviezel then proceeds to look at the crash scene and pick up vital evidence from the road while a hundred cops / medics / firemen etc. swarm the area. And not only that but Macklin spots him and then lets him away with it.
3. Then Macklin sees Rhona Mitra's character huddled 8 feet off the ground. What? None of the other 100 cops/medics/firemen etc. saw her sitting in plain view up there? Come on?
4. Mitra is then in a hospital bed and guess who is standing beside her? Yep - Caviezel. Again, this guy seems to be able to pop up anywhere he likes without been stopped by anyone.
I could go on like this through the whole film to be honest but it would become tiresome in this review....as it was while watching. Plot wasn't one of the strong points in this film as things just happen for the sake of moving the story along - there is no explanation or even reason for these things. Tasting oil, pressure guaging a radiator, Caviezel appearing at a counseling session out of the blue, finding the killer's stopover garage in the middle of nowhere etc. etc.
Some of the camera work is good - helicopter scene following the car through a mountainous river scene is sumptuous in the extreme - beautiful. But some of it is downright bad - interior shots in the same scene by mountains are simply lazy.
Some stunts are good and inventive - chain pulling the car upside down - but a lot lack real tension (tunnel, ending). The music was good and creepy. In the end - a poor storyline really let's the whole project down.
The DVD's scene navigation was great and far superior to some of the main film's work - which is never a good sign.
5/10.
The start was great - straight in, no messing around. Caviezel's wife is killed by a hit and run in a thrilling opening scene. The fact that not one word is uttered for the first 8 minutes of screen time but yet the effect on the audience is not diminished is testament to the director's handling. In fact 15 minutes go by before Caviezel says his first words - not bad work for a 77 minute film.
However, things go downhill from the beginning.
The tunnel crash seemed a little lethargic and contrived for me. Full marks to what seems like a non-CGI aided stunt but the action was a little stunted (excuse the pun) and looked like slow motion. then we start getting into the realms on unbelievability. 1. Macklin has to show ID as a cop to get through a cordon of cops outside the tunnel. Who is already inside? Wandering around untroubled? Caviezel. How did he get in?
2. Caviezel then proceeds to look at the crash scene and pick up vital evidence from the road while a hundred cops / medics / firemen etc. swarm the area. And not only that but Macklin spots him and then lets him away with it.
3. Then Macklin sees Rhona Mitra's character huddled 8 feet off the ground. What? None of the other 100 cops/medics/firemen etc. saw her sitting in plain view up there? Come on?
4. Mitra is then in a hospital bed and guess who is standing beside her? Yep - Caviezel. Again, this guy seems to be able to pop up anywhere he likes without been stopped by anyone.
I could go on like this through the whole film to be honest but it would become tiresome in this review....as it was while watching. Plot wasn't one of the strong points in this film as things just happen for the sake of moving the story along - there is no explanation or even reason for these things. Tasting oil, pressure guaging a radiator, Caviezel appearing at a counseling session out of the blue, finding the killer's stopover garage in the middle of nowhere etc. etc.
Some of the camera work is good - helicopter scene following the car through a mountainous river scene is sumptuous in the extreme - beautiful. But some of it is downright bad - interior shots in the same scene by mountains are simply lazy.
Some stunts are good and inventive - chain pulling the car upside down - but a lot lack real tension (tunnel, ending). The music was good and creepy. In the end - a poor storyline really let's the whole project down.
The DVD's scene navigation was great and far superior to some of the main film's work - which is never a good sign.
5/10.