Film Review - The Rover (2014)

Currently on VOD, releasing on DVD and Blu Ray on September 23rd, 2014-

"The Rover" - Set a decade after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner (Guy Pearce) pursues the men who stole his last remaining possession across a desolate expanse of the sweltering Australian outback. Crossing paths with the young, wounded simpleton (Robert Pattinson) that the gang left behind, the two form an uneasy alliance along the way.

Director David Michod's (Animal Kingdom) bleak, violent, contemporary Western is short of being profound, though admirable in its simplicity- I appreciated it as a triumph of the less-is-more approach to film-making.  The Rover is a smaller-budgeted affair, though it is well-filmed and features an interesting musical score- a few small details nagged at me, though the performances, direction and overall atmosphere won me over and maintained my interest throughout.

Guy Pearce's (Memento) performance as the mangy, world-weary drifter drives the film- he's a dangerous, hollowed-out soul hell-bent on reclaiming what's left of his past.  While dialogue is sporadic, there's a fierceness in the immensely talented Aussie actor's eyes that speaks volumes.  It bothers me to no end that Pearce doesn't land more higher-profiled, leading roles.

I haven't considered the 28-year-old Robert Pattinson (The Twilight films) all that impressive up until now, with the English actor's turn as a fidgety, naive sort surprising the heck out of me.  Perhaps it's a testament to the film's Director, or Pattinson has genuinely matured at his craft- I guess we'll know for sure after a few more years/films.

Though the duo's journey is sparsely populated, there are a handful of engaging encounters with the unsavory dregs and diamonds in the dusty rough that one would expect in a narrative of this nature.  There are a wealth of dynamic, lingering shots punctuated by short bursts of tense, bloody gunplay.  This is unmistakably adult material, aimed at an apparently dwindling demographic- it's CGI-free and packing a visceral punch that should stick to the ribs.  The final scene will more than likely find most reconsidering the film's title...

Recommended for the guys, it should prove to be a worthwhile companion piece to Director John Hillcoat's 2005 Western, "The Proposition" (also set in Australia and starring Guy Pearce).

8.0 out of 10

Director: David Michod
Cast: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, David Field, Tawanda Manyimo, Gillian Jones, Susan Prior and Anthony Hayes
Run-Time: 103 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language and some bloody violence