Review of The Rover (2014) by Christopher Llewellyn R — 19 Jun 2014

"The Rover" is the second narrative feature from Australian writer-director David Michôd ("Animal Kingdom," which also starred Guy Pearce). After what seems like an interminable procession of production-company logos (the joys of independently financed filmmaking!), the movie opens with the following text: "Australia. 10 years after the collapse." Shades of "Mad Max" and its sequels, particularly "The Road Warrior," perhaps? It's hard to resist the comparison to that or to other non-zombie post-apocalyptic movies like "The Road" (which also featured Guy Pearce, albeit in a small role). And so the derivative worries begin, which are not helped by the very first plot contrivance, when our hero, Eric (the aforementioned Guy Pearce, fierce and tough) has his car stolen from a roadside bar (a set piece that is nevertheless masterfully staged), setting in motion the long chase that will drive the story.

There is much to like in "The Rover," including that central performance and the carefully considered use of narrative ellipsis. We barely get to know many details about the characters, yet we understand that what pushes them is the never-ending race to survive in the hostile landscape of post-civilization Australia. The most expository line of dialogue in the entire film is said by Pearce's Eric, offering advice to a traveling companion who has just unintentionally killed an innocent bystander: "You should never stop thinking about a life you've taken. It's the price for taking it." As the world falls apart around them, that is perhaps the best mantra: actions have consequences. Of course, that doesn't stop anyone, Eric included, from killing when they need to (and sometimes when they don't). This isn't Dorothy's Oz.

If "The Rover" is not entirely successful, it's because the opacity of the screenplay doesn't ultimately turn out to uncover any deeper moral truths than that of the 6th Commandment, and since we end up identifying with a maddened killer, it's hard to argue that the film even makes that argument. Instead, as Eric chases down the men who've stolen his car - wreaking ever greater havoc as he goes - in the company of Rey (Robert Pattinson, all twitchy and possibly the worst thing in the film) the brother of one of them, the story continues to lose shape and momentum, with ellipsis becoming its raison d'être rather than its modus operandi. If you like violent thrillers, it's entertaining enough (and even occasionally shocking), but it doesn't add anything new to the genre. Even the ending feels like it's partially (sort of) adapted from another 1970s dystopian sci-fi film, "A Boy and His Dog" (not to give too much away, but perhaps "The Rover" should have just been called "Rover"). In spite of all this, however, I found the film at least somewhat compelling, and enjoyed the moments where what was not said mattered as much as what was explained directly.

Not a must-see, by any means, but not without interest.