Mild spoilers.
Before I started this review, I read what a few other reviewers had to say. I sometimes do that to see if what I have to tell has already been said, in which case it's pointless to repeat the review. And for this movie I read the complaint of one reviewer about the rental car being returned by a hit-man with the gun, cellphone and living victim still inside - which doesn't make sense, unless you're the most retarded hit-man ever. In fact, being unaware that this would be the case, I started piecing the plot together as the movie went along, and assumed that the car was being set up for the hit-man, to kill he victim somewhere remote and dispose of the body - with the car rental company being in on the deal, but making the mistake of handing out the wrong key to a passer-by. Still dubious though. I may need to re-watch the movie to get more clearance on that, but I accepted as a given that our hero somehow stumbled into the adventure in some way. What bothered me more on the 'vehicle' angle, except the unclear premise, is the reluctance of our protagonist to ditch the car, even after it being broad casted on the news, the car being recognized, and it having bullet holes in the side window. Man, at least pull your window down, you're in Africa after all. Why would a person breaking parole purposely drive away in the wrong car against the wishes of the rental company and risk an arrest? And why oh why didn't anyone bother to track the rental with its GPS? All rentals have it to prevent theft. Especially in Africa. We get a lot of emphasis on the vehicle for no motivated reason; the movie is even named after it and most of the adventure takes place in it - but the approach feels forced.
That being said, what you will get is an above average thriller with great cinematography and acting. But there is something off in this movie and I can't quite put my finger on it. It may be that some characters - the judge and the ex-wife - get no screen time, or that the appearance of the bad guy is underplayed.
Still, I was genuinely entertained.
Moderate recommendation.
Before I started this review, I read what a few other reviewers had to say. I sometimes do that to see if what I have to tell has already been said, in which case it's pointless to repeat the review. And for this movie I read the complaint of one reviewer about the rental car being returned by a hit-man with the gun, cellphone and living victim still inside - which doesn't make sense, unless you're the most retarded hit-man ever. In fact, being unaware that this would be the case, I started piecing the plot together as the movie went along, and assumed that the car was being set up for the hit-man, to kill he victim somewhere remote and dispose of the body - with the car rental company being in on the deal, but making the mistake of handing out the wrong key to a passer-by. Still dubious though. I may need to re-watch the movie to get more clearance on that, but I accepted as a given that our hero somehow stumbled into the adventure in some way. What bothered me more on the 'vehicle' angle, except the unclear premise, is the reluctance of our protagonist to ditch the car, even after it being broad casted on the news, the car being recognized, and it having bullet holes in the side window. Man, at least pull your window down, you're in Africa after all. Why would a person breaking parole purposely drive away in the wrong car against the wishes of the rental company and risk an arrest? And why oh why didn't anyone bother to track the rental with its GPS? All rentals have it to prevent theft. Especially in Africa. We get a lot of emphasis on the vehicle for no motivated reason; the movie is even named after it and most of the adventure takes place in it - but the approach feels forced.
That being said, what you will get is an above average thriller with great cinematography and acting. But there is something off in this movie and I can't quite put my finger on it. It may be that some characters - the judge and the ex-wife - get no screen time, or that the appearance of the bad guy is underplayed.
Still, I was genuinely entertained.
Moderate recommendation.