The Rover (Cinema Screening)

(Spoilers)

The Rover is a film that I knew next to nothing about, but at times I like this better than having a working knowledge of the film. I think I had only seen one trailer but from that I was actually really excited for it and thought it had great potential. Anyway I was browsing cinema listings when I just stumbled upon it, I had no idea it was even out yet, anyway what did I think?

Well firstly I have to comment on just how awesome both the lead actors were. Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson play two very different characters here but what they have in common is just how brilliantly they play them. Pearce performs so well and his character Eric benefits from this. Throughout the whole film Pearce is able to convey how on the edge Eric is, it seems that he could lose it at any given point and this made for great viewing. I was constantly weary of Eric and was expecting him to have an outburst all the time, although this never really came the tension that resulted from it was a great accompaniment to the film. Pattinson who plays Jey probably stole the show though, he may have had a more obviously impressive performance though due to the nature of his character. Pattinson surely ditches his Twilight persona here as he is almost unrecognisable in this role and is so consistent as Jey. He plays a character I’m sure unlike any he has done in the past but he manages to be so captivating within this role.

There isn’t too much to the plot to be honest, Eric’s car gets stolen and he wants it back. That is literally it but there is so much more going on around this storyline, throughout the film we get to encounter much more in terms of story. We find out a little about both Eric and Jey’s pasts and also we gain insights into the global economic crisis. Although we don’t get much enough information is given to the viewer to allow their minds to wander. What accompanies the plot throughout the film is an overwhelming sense of tension, I was on edge for the whole film. It wasn’t dis-similar to the likes of Drive or Only God Forgives in terms of this.  The score helped with this immensely and right from the beginning of the film had a major role to play. One scene that relieves from this tension is the sequence which features Keri Hilson’s ‘Pretty Girl Rock’. This scene is so interesting, it does offer a change in atmosphere but it is also open for interpretation and may be more sinister than what it first seems. The ending to the film is understated much like the rest of the film but offers another element or layer to the film that some may not even realise was there. It answers the question as to why Eric wants his car back so badly. I had honestly come to the conclusion that he just had nothing left both in terms of possession and for something to do so he simply did just want it back. This is not the case and offered a nice touch to end the film on.

The Rover is understated and full of tension, the performances from both the leads are the best thing about the movie. The overwhelming tension does mean that it can be hard to settle into the film, but I don’t think the viewer is every really supposed to feel at ease.

BIGGEST FLAW – The viewer is left to fill in a lot of the blanks, this may be an issue for some

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – The lead actors performances

Rating – 8.5/10