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Title: The Rover (2014)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Guy Pearce | ... | Eric | |
 |
Chan Kien | ... | Karaoke 1 |
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Tek Kong Lim | ... | Karaoke 2 |
| Tawanda Manyimo | ... | Caleb | |
| Scoot McNairy | ... | Henry | |
| David Field | ... | Archie | |
|
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Scott Perry | ... | Dying Soldier |
| Robert Pattinson | ... | Rey | |
| Richard Green | ... | Storekeeper | |
|
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Ben Armer | ... | Benny |
|
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Ethan Hanslow | ... | Hanging Gardens Boy |
|
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Gillian Jones | ... | Grandma |
|
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Jamie Fallon | ... | Colin |
|
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Frank C. Sun | ... | Acrobat 1 (as Chen 'Frank' Sun) |
| Samuel F. Lee | ... | Acrobat 2 | |
Ten years after a global economic collapse, a cold-blooded drifter traverses the scorched Australian outback on a mission to track down the men who stole his last remaining possession - his car. When he crosses paths with a badly wounded member of the gang, he takes the vulnerable, naïve young man along as his unwitting accomplice. Written by Anonymous
Just like the mud and the dust on the characters in the film, the excellent The Rover gets under the skin and remains there, long after the screen went black.
The story takes place in the Australian outback in the near future after a collapse. A bitter loner sees his car stolen by a gang and tries to get it back at all cost with the help of the wounded, simple brother of a gang member, left behind after a disastrous robbery.
Slow and intense The Rover sucks you into the desert, you can almost feel the heat and the flies in your face. Few words are used, more is said by gunshots. Here are no action heroes who at the end clean up the mess, restore the order and peace and let you leave theater with the feeling that you were nicely entertained. The people in The Rover are desperate to such extent that they've almost become indifferent towards life. They try to survive, period.
The bizarre relationship between the angry loner Eric and the naive, dependent Rey is wonderfully brought on screen. Both Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson deliver brilliant performances. Guy embodies perfectly the bitter,rude, inner wounded Eric with his body language and the intense gaze . Robert disappears into Rey, a damaged rather innocent soul who IMO has been taught to blindly obey and not to think for himself, in a way that will blow people away. The tics and blinks belong to Rey, you see them disappear when he feels more at ease, reappear in situations of stress. The supporting actors are amazing as well.
Although the film is dark, the mood is not cold IMO. Under the surface of alienation and cruelty there's a palpable emotional layer of vulnerability and fear. Michôd created a world frighteningly realistic and raw, a world we, civilized people, in fact don't want to face. With his second movie David shows again how incredibly talented he is.
I was eagerly anticipating The Rover and it met all my expectations. The performances alone is pure enjoyment together with the beautiful landscapes and the amazing music score. Some scenes are quite funny like Rey trying to do his best to be a good partner, or when he's singing.
There's also a lot to think about after watching The Rover. What collapse can cause such situation? How far are civilized people willing to go when there's nothing left to loose? Is Rey mentally disabled or is he the product of a very unfavorable education?
And why did I think about Animal Kingdom after The Rover had finished? See the movie and you'll know.
Sorry for mistakes, English isn't my native language.