Review of Tracers (2015) by Quincytheodore — 25 Mar 2015

Tracers is confident when it leaps through obstacles, but the tiresome screenplay and uninteresting personalities prevent it from reaching any plateau. This is one of rare movies that attempts to mix extreme sport and drama thriller. The odd concept doesn't necessarily deliver a good spectacle, and as expected, Tracers falls short by the same issue. While it boasts well-choreographed freerun sequences and authentic cinematography of the city, its narrative is too convoluted that the movie just feels inorganic despite the best effort from visual department.

Cam (Taylor Lautner) has a troublesome life, he owes some nasty people a lot of cash. His day job as a bike messenger doesn't nearly cover this debt, so when a chance for better alternative and also romantic involvement arrives, he takes it without hesitation. Cam is a presentable lead character, he deals with real life problems which can be relatable for everyone. Taylor Lautner performs well, he might not possess wide range of acting prowess, but he is physically fit and pretty convincing as Cam.

However, the poor screenplay as he interacts with other characters make Cam looks one-dimensional. The story tries to be too much and simply overreaches with its premise. There's a hefty amount of time invested for love subplot with Nikki (Marie Avgeropoulos). Unfortunately, Nikki isn't that likeable, she's too trapped in the mysterious love interest type. The script doesn't give her much more than sullen expression. Then there's the crime aspect, the crew of parkour agents undertakes dirty missions to infiltrate highly guarded facilities.

Even if audiences believe that every rooftops and buildings are accessible for convenience's sake, the movie throws in heist, mafia and secret agency subplots. It gets really arduous half-way through, and none of these complex sidetracks are fully explored. There's barely any build up, some aspects are even thrown in out of nowhere, and they certainly don't wrap up in any coherent manner. It tries to remedy this with sob back stories to justify rooting for the good guys, but audience problem wouldn't care about them at this point.

It's a shame since the visual design presents the city with grayish gritty tone and a dose of realism. The view can be immersive, this is already an advantage and a good use of parkour gimmick in the urban jungle. The way the cameras work during certain scenes are very good, continuous shots even in tight spaces prove that the film has finesse. It understands the intricacy of the motion and how to translate that into watchable scenes.

The choppy material weighs it down, it could’ve been much more enjoyable if the film opted for lighter tone. As it stands, Tracers is a decent run through the city, but it loses momentum when the characters stop and exchange banter.