Ticker

This is among the best of BMW Films to date, a charged and emotional action short revolving around a mysterious suitcase. The Driver and the man who holds the suitcase are being chased by a helicopter whose passengers fire incessently to stop the delivery, and The Driver demands to know why it is so important that this suitcase be delivered. He gets his answer when blood drips from the package, and when he arrives at the delivery point, and sees an army, both a literal one and one of doctors.

Having just watched his work in The Grey, I was quite surprised and happy to see Joe Carnahan's name pop up as being the director of this second of the second series of BWM-produced short films. The story such as it is, begins with bullets pelting the roadway all around the Driver's BMW. His passenger has a briefcase that has to be delivered to its destination – a briefcase that just started leaking a flammable fluid and has begun a countdown sequence.

The story behind this starting point is played out quite nicely in flashbacks before the reveal at the end and, while it doesn't make a massive amount of sense, it does work for what it is – providing a decent conclusion but also mystery up till that point. Of course this all comes to nothing if the short can't deliver a certain amount of tension and pace and here on both fronts it does. The direction is good throughout and with the cinematography and (most importantly) the editing, it not only looks good but has energy and pace while also being able to retain that while cutting away to fill in the story. Gilroy is the one though – I thought it was edited perfectly to make everything work as well as it did, not easy considering telling the story is in the construct. Of course, having a score from someone like Clint Mansell does no harm either.

The cast are mixed. Owen is really good with his urgent delivery and good presence, while Cheadle is just as good while retaining the mystery of his character. What didn't work so well for me though was how many other faces are crammed into this very short film – particularly the ones that barely have a word to say. Abraham is probably not the worst of these as he is a key player at least, but it is just distracting and unnecessary to have Patrick, Haysbert and Liotta in there for no reason; their presence late on in the film distracted me with thoughts of what they were going to do (the answer is "nothing" by the way).

This gripe aside though, this is urgent and enjoyable with a decent plot and makes for one of the better of the BMW short films.

'Ticker' is yet another short film from The Hire-series and again it is not disappointing. Clive Owen as The Driver has to deliver a man (Don Cheadle) with a briefcase on all costs. A helicopter is flying above them, shooting at them. We see F. Murray Abraham, Ray Liotta and Robert Patrick as nice extras. This short looks more real than most other action movies. With a nice story and some good acting this is worth watching.

After watching all of the The Hire BMW commercials, I'm still considering the first, Ambush, my favorite. But I must say, this one comes damn close. It has great action, a pretty good plot and very good acting by all involved. The cameos by Ray Liotta and Robert Patrick are a nice touch. The only thing I didn't like in this was the twist... when we find out what's inside the suitcase. That is a little lame... and overly 'good guy', I think. Apart from that, though, the commercial is very cool and intense. I like the way the story was told, jumping a bit back and forth in time, throughout the entire thing... that worked exceptionally well. I haven't seen any other films by Joe Carnahan, but if any of them are as action-packed and intense as this one, I might have to check out some of his other work. While I can't say too much about his acting talent in general, I think Don Cheadle did a pretty good job in this. Clive Owen is, as usual, great as The Driver. F. Murray Abraham is charismatic as always. While this is not the best of the commercials, it is very good, and definitely worth watching. I recommend it to fans of the commercials and action films. 8/10

Ticker (2002) keeps me coming back for a re-viewing. This dramatic action short film is fast, exciting, riveting, suspenseful, and ultimately thoughtful. It is one of a series of short films. I recommend action enthusiasts give this film their attention. Also, have a look at The Hostage (2002) and Beat The Devil (2002).