So do we, Ethan. So do we.
I'm giving this turkey a 2 for effort. I mean any film with Jon Voight can't be all bad... even if you only see his mouth.
Right?!
And Ethan Hawke I've got no complaints with. He's always been a great actor. I think he did his best with the material.
Plenty of cool crashes and stunts, you gotta admit that. Obviously a lot of effort went into this, and I take my hat off to the stunt drivers and crew. 2 months of shooting nights in Bulgaria? Christ! I feel their pain.
The problem here, of course, is with the script. Since the chase begins immediately, we have no time to get to know the characters, to like them, to care if they live or die.
By jettisoning any sort of first act to set up the characters, and plunging us headlong into what should be the third act, the filmmakers have shot themselves in the foot, since action without anyone to root for as simply boring.
In "Speed," another film where a maniac in an undisclosed location forces someone to drive fast and risk lives, we get to know the main characters and appreciate them. Same thing with "Taken" and "Frantic" -- 2 other influences.
Here, with the wife being seen only in flashback, we have no real idea of who she is. Plus, in "Speed," an entire bus full of people was at risk. Here, only one woman. Why should we care if she lives or dies? Especially at the expense of innocent bystanders. (This film also completely steals the "we'll make a video loop of us driving to trick the bad guy monitoring us" gag. Wow! Plagiarism, anyone?!)
Of course, it is possible to make a film that's one long chase, and make it work. That film was the classic "Vanishing Point." "Vanishing Point" works on every single level -- action as well as characters. We learned about Barry Newman's character, Kowalski, as the film progressed... but we absolutely liked him and cared about him from the beginning. And the more we learned about him, the more we were intrigued. And the more we cared.
Not so here, unfortunately. "Getaway" is a good lesson in filmmaking. It seems to be more or less an experiment to see if a chase sequence without a set-up can sustain an entire film. Maybe it can... but the characters and theme and location better be fascinating, and well worth the 90 minute ride.
One last lesson to screenwriters: never put a line in the film or use a title that can have a double meaning... in the worst possible way!
And a quick note to the 27 producers of the film: next time you make a movie in Sofia, Bulgaria, and want to thank the city that made the filming possible, you might want to learn how to spell the city's name in the end credits. Hint:"Sophia" is a girl's name; "Sofia" is the name of a city.
Christ, even I know that... and I've never been to the goddamn place!!
I'm giving this turkey a 2 for effort. I mean any film with Jon Voight can't be all bad... even if you only see his mouth.
Right?!
And Ethan Hawke I've got no complaints with. He's always been a great actor. I think he did his best with the material.
Plenty of cool crashes and stunts, you gotta admit that. Obviously a lot of effort went into this, and I take my hat off to the stunt drivers and crew. 2 months of shooting nights in Bulgaria? Christ! I feel their pain.
The problem here, of course, is with the script. Since the chase begins immediately, we have no time to get to know the characters, to like them, to care if they live or die.
By jettisoning any sort of first act to set up the characters, and plunging us headlong into what should be the third act, the filmmakers have shot themselves in the foot, since action without anyone to root for as simply boring.
In "Speed," another film where a maniac in an undisclosed location forces someone to drive fast and risk lives, we get to know the main characters and appreciate them. Same thing with "Taken" and "Frantic" -- 2 other influences.
Here, with the wife being seen only in flashback, we have no real idea of who she is. Plus, in "Speed," an entire bus full of people was at risk. Here, only one woman. Why should we care if she lives or dies? Especially at the expense of innocent bystanders. (This film also completely steals the "we'll make a video loop of us driving to trick the bad guy monitoring us" gag. Wow! Plagiarism, anyone?!)
Of course, it is possible to make a film that's one long chase, and make it work. That film was the classic "Vanishing Point." "Vanishing Point" works on every single level -- action as well as characters. We learned about Barry Newman's character, Kowalski, as the film progressed... but we absolutely liked him and cared about him from the beginning. And the more we learned about him, the more we were intrigued. And the more we cared.
Not so here, unfortunately. "Getaway" is a good lesson in filmmaking. It seems to be more or less an experiment to see if a chase sequence without a set-up can sustain an entire film. Maybe it can... but the characters and theme and location better be fascinating, and well worth the 90 minute ride.
One last lesson to screenwriters: never put a line in the film or use a title that can have a double meaning... in the worst possible way!
And a quick note to the 27 producers of the film: next time you make a movie in Sofia, Bulgaria, and want to thank the city that made the filming possible, you might want to learn how to spell the city's name in the end credits. Hint:"Sophia" is a girl's name; "Sofia" is the name of a city.
Christ, even I know that... and I've never been to the goddamn place!!