Director: David Michôd
Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, David Field, Tawanda Manyimo, Gillian Jones
Running Time: 103 minutes
Certificate: 15
Having received critical acclaim for his 2010 release ANIMAL KINGDOM, director David Michôd definitely set himself a challenge to replicate his previous success. However, choosing to return to the film world with THE ROVER was one of the smartest moves he could’ve made.
Set in a dystopian Australia, Guy Pearce (who previously collaborated with Michôd on ANIMAL KINGDOM) features as quiet loner Eric, a man inadvertently drawn into a world of violence and desperation. After his car is stolen by three criminals, Eric sets out to seek revenge and claim back what is rightfully his. However, on his journey he comes across the injured Rey (Robert Pattinson), the brother of one of the criminals, desperate to get back to the gang despite their attempts to lose him. Now lumbered with a passenger, Eric fights off fellow nomads, patrol officers and hungry vultures to swap Rey for his beloved car…but the situation isn’t all that it seems.
From beginning to end THE ROVER is a marvel. Set against the blank, endless backdrop of the Australian outback, the landscape becomes a character in itself. The numerous wide-angle shots and point-of-views out of car windows give the audience a sense of the great expanse Eric has between him and the precious cargo he’s so desperate to retrieve, heightening the feeling of hopelessness and loneliness. The foreboding mountains and never-ending dusty plains, partnered with the eerie soundtrack (beautiful melodies contrasting cheesy pop, a hark back to the society our characters remember), is something to behold, all conventions of classic neo-Western cinema.
While the setting and scenery may be noteworthy, the performances are above and beyond; Pearce plays Eric so intensely it’s hard to picture him in any other character role. With little dialogue throughout, Eric almost resembles Ryan Gosling’s character in DRIVE – an intense, dangerous man on the edge, waiting to be pushed. Robert Pattinson as Rey is, once again, another genius choice of casting. Surprisingly for some, THE ROVER is only the second post-TWILIGHT SAGA role for Pattinson, following fellow 2014 entry MAPS TO THE STARS, and he certainly takes advantage of the freedom to explore his talents. With Rey written as a man of low intellect, Robert almost plays the Lennie to Pearce/Eric’s George, determined to please and surprise. Alongside this, with both men left with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing and the guns they tote, by the end of the film you can almost sense a father/son bond between the pair. Coming up against a society left to ruin, starving and stir-crazy, Eric seems to warm to the idea of having company, making the conclusion all the more harrowing.
Having missed THE ROVER’s theatrical release, I’m so glad for the opportunity to review it for the home entertainment release, if only for the chance to kick off 2015 with one of the best films of the last six months.
[usr=5] THE ROVER is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.
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