Review by Karolina Grushcka
Technically not a horror film, The Rover is definitely a movie for alternative audiences. I base this on the director’s experimental approach, the bleak tone of the film and the depictions of graphic violence.
The Rover is an Aussie production, written and directed by David Michod. The story is set in the Australian outback ten years after a massive economic collapse. Eric, a hardened but seemingly depressed guy (Guy Pearce) has his car stolen by three men who are on the run. With nothing left to lose he is determined to get it back. On his mission, Eric cold-bloodedly kills whoever hinders his manhunt. Along the way, he picks up a wounded Rey (Robert Pattinson) who turns out to be the brother of Henry (Scoot McNairy), one of the thieves along with two other men (Tawanda Manyimo, David Field), who must have abandoned Rey during a robbery of some sort. At first, Eric uses Rey as means to get his car back, but gradually they develop a form of companionship.
The Rover is a very slow paced film with a tense atmosphere, despite, or maybe because of the lack of action. There is a certain beauty about this emptiness; also in regards to the dusty wasteland. I loved the bleakness in the movie; nobody seems to care whether they live or die. People simply exist or vegetate, they do not live. Even the law enforcers (the military) are indifferent; they just do what they do, only so that they have something to do.
The movie was quite a difficult viewing; it felt like I was waiting for Godot. I must admit that in an attempt to sweeten this experience, my friends and I started counting ‘Edward-faces’. I am sorry but I do not enjoy Robert Pattinson’s acting style; at the start of the film he seems to display a new repertoire of facial expressions, but very soon retreats to Twilight mannerisms (what I call the ‘constipated look’). Furthermore, his Australian accent is not the best of efforts. The character he plays is a lovely boy with special needs; you know he has a big disadvantage in this dog eat dog world. Pattinson at least succeeded to some extent at conveying Rey’s vulnerability – I did feel for him.
Guy Pearce portrays Eric as this intense character, but there was something missing from his performance; it is Guy Pearce – come on! I was expecting more from him. I think that is how I felt about the whole film: it had some potential but was not quite there, especially as the script was not well constructed. Lots of things did not make sense, such as why Eric would not take the guns of people he just shot. It almost felt like The Rover was not scripted at all but badly improvised; possibly trying too hard to create something different and arty? There were also quite a few moments that made me laugh (dialogue which I do not think it was meant to be funny) and bits that came across as ridiculous (a randomly placed pop song that Rey sings along to). Go and see for yourself (or not), but I highly doubt The Rover will become a cult classic.
You might still be able to catch it in selected cinemas; alternatively, the release date for the DVD will be possibly towards the end of the year (not confirmed yet).