User Reviews

Struggling ride-share driver Ethan (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is trying to raise his rebellious younger sister Mia as her sole guardian. Crime lord Kaden (Mickey Rourke) becomes his customer. He gets suspended at his job. Mia comes home distressed one night. She reveals that she's in debt to criminals for $20k.

This is somewhat interesting but I'm not sold on it. I like Ethan's character at first but his crazed super-fighting in the last section feels out of place. It's coming from a different type of movie. I get his progression but he falters after awhile. The death is a mistake. It would work better to do a kidnapping instead. It's not like he doesn't get to a kidnapped girl in the last act. I don't mind Mickey Rourke's character but I question him using a ride-share program. If he's powerful enough, he would have his own driver. This movie wants to do something amazing but it's not quite at that level. I also don't like some of the filmmaking choices. Expectations may be too high but the inability to achieve them causes this to fail.

1 star for being close enough to make a solid movie

In shorter: The at time horrible acting mixed with solid moments or moments where the bad acting makes it feel a tad more realistic makes up for an overall ok experience.

If you are looking for a mid-high budget action, this isn't it. This is a decent low budget crime/thriller with cliché ridden plotline that still doesn't feel that unoriginal somehow.

In longer: Some of the effects (some of the gore and most of the lighting) is ok or even good and costume feels on point. It also tries to use the sound to convey the mixed emotions of the lead (as done better in many other movies; like spun 2002 with Rourke in it, but still strikes onto that tone clearly enough), which would have worked better without the dialect that in some scenes strangely work but in others simply doesn't work.

This lacks a tad in most departments from being really good, but theyre close to reaching over the hump and on a low budget that isn't bad. This movie feels a little rushed at some parts (CGI parking house?), but if the director is helped with time management or given more time the end resault could possibly have been better.

Scenography overall is quite good as mentioned for a low budget movie. This movie needed some nicer shots though, with drones being inexpensive that could have given it a feeling of being a tad higher in the budget department.

Pro's Not that far from being over the hump in several categories, shame it didn't reach it Bad acting and weird accent choice makes some scenes over the top enough to feel realistical.

Con's Acting; up and down with a strange accent choice Capturing the moment, some camera angles could have been picked better.

CGI.

Ethan (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is on parole and works as a ride share. He also has custody of his 16-year old sister Mia (Kelly Arjen) who is quite the hand full. She gets into trouble with the wrong people. Ethan must resort to his old ways.

Not sure how he got custody on parole. Plot had some wholes. Mickey Rourke has been making the rounds. This role is a long fall from grace for Sean Astin and Lou Diamond Phillips. It is a film you can pass on and not feel you have missed anything.

Guide: F-word. Brief nudity, No sex.

"Nothing personal, just strictly business". No someone's not getting fired. It's more like they're about to meet their maker. Ouch.

Anyway, 2020's Adverse is my latest review. It was released in February of last year and is distributed by Eagle Films. Brian A. Metcalf helms Adverse as a threatening LA story. Without filter, his pic is filled with drug addicts, crime lords, multiple deaths by tire iron, and remorseless henchmen. Adverse is well, "perverse".

Adverse is about an unwashed ride share driver named Ethan (Thomas Ian Nicholas). Ethan is guardian to his kid sister Mia (played by Kelly Arjen). When Mia owes a lot of money to the wrong people ($10,000 plus interest), Ethan is forced to smooth over the feeble situation and off a few bad guys along the way.

Nicholas in the lead really disappears into character. His Ethan is rattled, short-fused, galled, and full of intense stares. This is not the same dude from American Pie and Rookie of the Year mind you. And even though his performance is a little strained and over the top, you gotta admire the campy commitment.

In truth, if you like a flick with a well-known cast of cameos (Lou Diamond Phillips, Sean Astin, Penelope Ann Miller, director Metcalf), then Adverse is your cup of tea. And if you like a flick with a well-known cast of squalid side characters (Mickey Rourke, an unrecognizable Andrew Keegan), then you might get a kick out of Adverse's need to make these actors feel relevant again. Finally, if you like your crime thrillers slightly neo-noir while bloody to the max, then Adverse will give you your cinematic, needled fix (no puns I swear).

Watching Adverse, I was somehow reminded of 2011's Drive. Too bad Adverse lacks Drive's breakneck style, 80s vibe, more focused story, and better use of a nastier villain. Sorry Mickey Rourke. I still love ya though.