Review of The Rover (2014) by Rob V — 15 Jun 2014

David Michod's directorial debut Animal Kingdom was one of the top motion pictures of 2010, and easily one of the finest Australian movies ever made. His long-awaited sophomore effort - a gritty, semi-dystopian tale that is difficult to pigeonhole into a single genre - is a major comedown.

Opening with an electrifying first act that plays out like a Mad Max homage, The Rover starts strong and it appears that Michod has struck cinematic gold twice. Unfortunately, the film segues into a frustratingly abstract and meandering tale of guilt, desperation and reflection, losing all of its steam in the process, until a slight pickup near the end.

The harsh and baron setting is beautifully shot by cinematographer Natasha Braier and the eclectic score composed by Antony Partos is unique and absorbing, however a sense of repetitiveness creeps in due to the slow-moving narrative.

Guy Pearce is commanding as the chillingly ruthless Eric, the titular nomad who travels across a lawless Australian outback to retrieve his stolen car, whilst Robert Pattinson sheds his lover-boy celebrity persona to deliver an admirably rough-around-the-edges performance as Eric's mentally slow and put upon travelling partner Rey.

The Rover boasts a lot of separately impressive ingredients but, disappointingly, Michod can't gel them together to create another home grown masterpiece.