Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Writer-director: Mukunda Michael Dewil, Madman Entertainment.
Being at the wrong place at the wrong time can sometimes prove dangerous … as Michael Woods (Paul Walker, Fast & Furious franchise, She’s All That) finds out in this energetic action thriller.
An ex-convict, Michael is also a struggling alcoholic who defies his parole and flies to Johannesburg to try and put things right with his estranged wife Angie, who works for the U.S. Embassy. His arrival in South Africa isn’t exactly smooth running. His plane is late, the car rental company makes a mistake and gives him an inconspicuous minivan instead of a sedan.
His troubles begin after he decides to keep the van, but discovers a gun, a phone and a tied-up prisoner in the boot of the car. As the story plays out, Michael learns about the kidnapped passenger (Naima McLean) in the trunk of the vehicle and her connection to a corrupt South African police chief. Our accidental hero has a few headaches in store.
Inadvertently uncovering key evidence in a corruption trial, Michael realises he has been framed by dishonest policemen and then sets out to evade the entire force in a city he doesn’t know.
It’s a tall ask – getting a Texan ex-con into an unfamiliar city and dodging a police force – but the high-octane race against time makes the plot plausible. Not often does Michael leave the confines of the car, but when he does, some disjointed edits deplete the tension from intense sessions of vehicular chaos. However, Blu-ray viewing gives clarity.
The late Walker had executive-produced and starred in this film. South African writer-director Deuwil does justice to it by using backdrops that have mostly been untouched in conventional cinema.
