'The Rover': Actor Robert Pattinson is a welcome presence in the story
Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia 鈥�10 years after the collapse,鈥澛犫�淭he Rover鈥� is a nuggety neo-western starring Guy Pearce as Eric, a聽loner whose car is stolen by three nasty characters after he pulls up at a聽dilapidated roadside bar. The three guys leave behind their pickup, which聽Eric promptly uses in pursuit.聽
Director David Michod鈥檚 follow-up to his acclaimed debut, 鈥淎nimal聽Kingdom,鈥� is effective in an elemental way, but after a while, Eric鈥檚聽pursuit raises one too many times the question: Why does he bother?聽Of course, we鈥檙e supposed to think that the theft has unhinged him, that this final indignity crosses his line, etc. But I needed a bit more聽than this mythic inscrutability. (Michod supplies a kicker at the end, but聽it鈥檚 too little, too late.)
When Robert Pattinson shows up as the mentally聽challenged, severely injured brother of one of the nasties and joins the聽chase, it鈥檚 something of a relief. At least he鈥檚 more wacky than mythic.聽Now if only Mad Max had turned up. Grade:聽B- (Rated R for language and some bloody violence.)
