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Rover, The

Rover, The (2014) Movie Poster
  •  Australia / USA  •    •  103m  •    •  Directed by: David Michôd.  •  Starring: Guy Pearce, Chan Kien, Tek Kong Lim, Tawanda Manyimo, Scoot McNairy, David Field, Scott Perry, Robert Pattinson, Richard Green, Ben Armer, Ethan Hanslow, Gillian Jones, Jamie Fallon.  •  Music by: Antony Partos.
        The Rover is set in the Australian desert in a dangerous and dysfunctional near future. Eric has left everything and every semblance of human kindness behind him. When his last possession, his car, is stolen by a gang of dangerous criminals, Eric sets off to track them down and is forced along the way to enlist the help of Reynolds, the naive member of the gang left behind in the bloody chaos of the gang's most recent escape.

Trailers:

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Review:

Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
Image from: Rover, The (2014)
I was motivated to write this review in response to the ignorance, errors and confusion in the many negative reviews of this low-budget, independent Aussie DYSTOPIAN film. A caption tells us that The Rover is set in outback Australia ten years after The Collapse. Negative reviewers seem confused over this as The Collapse is not explained, but there are more than enough clues in the film (for those observant enough to actually pick up on them) that reveal the event was an economic collapse and obviously not the "Collapse of Civilisation" as many negative reviewers seem to believe. Apparently many people confuse dystopia with post apocalypse, even Quentin Tarantino judging by his quote on the DVD cover:

"A mesmerising visionary achievement. The best post-apocalyptic movie since the original Mad Max."

Sorry Quentin but the original Mad Max film was not a post-apocalyptic film, it was a dystopian action adventure set in the near future. Society was in terminal decay, but law and order, government, and infrastructure still remained. The apocalypse in the Mad Max franchise took place between the first two films, this is clearly explained in the Road Warrior prologue.

The Rover is not a post-apocalyptic film, it most definitely belongs in the dystopian future genre - There is still a centralised government, and some semblance of law and order maintained by military police. Obviously there is still limited infrastructure remaining, as we see freight trains guarded by heavily armed private military contractors. Gasoline, auto accessories, ammunition, weapons and food are still available to the public at highly inflated prices, but vendors will only accept American currency as apparently Australian currency is worthless. We find out that some form of mining industry still exists. None of these elements would be present in a post-apocalyptic world. Society is in a state of decay after the economic collapse, but it still exists. This is all quite obvious, the clues are all there in the film, and it seems many negative reviewers need every plot point explained in minute detail or they don't "Get It." - "Why is the world like this?" - "Why is the main character so messed up?" They would be better off watching the latest CGI overload Star WarsStar TrekMarvel trash-fest rather than this good dystopian future film. (Respect for the independent film industry, at least they're still putting out science fiction films for grown-ups, rather than the mega-budget epic pieces of crud continually churned out by Hollywood!)

The Rover is also definitely not a balls to the wall action film, but a character driven drama, so there are no explosions or "Hollywood" action set-pieces. The violence in The Rover is quick, nasty, and brutal, and is portrayed quite realistically compared to most action films. Those who complain that nothing happens in this film were obviously expecting a traditional action film with all the standard clichés. There is no convoluted plot, this is a simple tale, slowly paced and this is not a film for those with limited attention spans. If dystopian future character drama is a genre of film you enjoy (such as: 1984. Gattaca. The Handmaid's Tale. Children of Men etc.), and you wish to view The Rover without preconceptions I would advise against reading the negative reviews as quite a few of them do give away the ending.

The film opens with a shot of Guy Pearce's scruffy, burnt-out loner Eric sitting in his car outside a roadside cafe, a mournful, depressed, expression on his face. Eric exits the car, enters the cafe and is enjoying a drink of water when a gang of thieves crash their getaway vehicle after a robbery gone wrong. The vehicle is still drivable but wedged in coils of plastic tubing. The gang hotwire Eric's car and escape, whilst Eric finally manages to free the trapped pick-up and pursues the gang. He catches up with the gang and there is a confrontation, but Eric is rendered unconscious and the gang depart in Eric's car. At the climax Eric confronts the gang and finally recovers his stolen vehicle and we discover why he was so determined to do so. Negative reviewers scoff at this revelation, but it fits the character and the story, the tale of a man who has lost everything and trusts nobody, who will stop at nothing (including murder) to recover what was obviously the only thing left in his life that he still cared about.

Negative reviewers state that nothing really happens in this film, and if you're expecting a wham bam action adventure with explosions and spectacular vehicular stunts every five minutes, watch Fury Road instead. Although the taciturn Eric has no qualms about shooting people in cold blood, and quite a few characters are gunned down in the course of the film. The Rover is a serious character drama not an action movie, as previously stated this is a simple tale about people surviving within the decaying society they inhabit. Guy Pearce's performance as the burnt out, nihilistic Eric, is understated and exactly what this film required. Robert Pattinson's performance as the mentally challenged Rey is also very good (his southern white trash accent is spot on), and the relationship that slowly develops between these two characters is the emotional core of the film and also parallels a relationship that relates to Eric's determination to recover his stolen vehicle.

The direction and cinematography are very good and the supporting cast acquit themselves well. The excellent veteran Aussie character actor David Field (Two Hands, Chopper, These Final Hours) as gang member Archie, is in his few brief scenes, as always, very good. If character drama set in a decaying society is your thing, don't let the negative reviews put you off The Rover is well worth a look.


Review by S-Hite-Forbranes from the Internet Movie Database.

 

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