4x4

What a strange film that begins like a thriller in the line of PHONE GAME, or BURIED and then looks like DOG DAY AFTERNOON or a social drama. Yes, a very strange feature where you actually have two movies for the price of one. I was surprised, not a bad stuff after all. Not bad at all.

So, in many ways the premise of this film was pretty unrealistic! Some complain it was slow! Given the storyline I hardly expected it to be action packed. Peter Lanzani did a great job carrying the weight of the movie. I watched through the credits and I'm glad I stayed with. Not an Academy Award worthy film, but was enjoyable to watch.

As much as I avoid having to read subtitles, I'm a sucker for a film set in one venue with one or 2 actors. It's a hard stunt to pull off for both director and actor. Which is why films like Cast Away, Open Water, Buried, and Wait Until Dark are so compelling. This one does a good job for about 3/4 of the film. Peter Lanzani gives a stellar performance. Then it seems to fall flat in its attempt to point out that only a crazy person would take a car trap to such extremes. The trap is not a new trick; however, it is illegal. Although well-done, it does seem a bit drawn out for what it is. The whole scene in the street could have been shortened by 10 minutes. On the other hand, if it were more intriguing it could have gone longer. But once the Dr. Arrives at the vehicle and the long ending begins, it felt like a different film.

I think this movie is extremely underrated. It has a very interesting start and it keeps your full attention in the first hour. It gets a little common and dissappointing in the end, but it's still worth watching. It seems like writer didn't know how to fully develop a great idea, so he just half-succeeded. It is still a success, though.

It has been a while since I truly enjoyed a movie and got inspired to maybe watch it again. What happens when a simple plan goes wrong? A petty criminal tries to rob an expensive car, something he has done with ease many times before - never seen someone break into a car with a tennis ball, so that was new... Then he realizes he is locked inside. The car is bullet and sound proof, and the windows are tainted on the outside. Nobody can see him or hear him. We have seen trap movies before, but I don't recall seeing this. The movie has several very strong messages: 1) One does everything to survive. Everything. Only in such moments, one realizes one's true potential. Human beings can endure a whole lot more than they think, and only when their lives are at stack, do they realize what they can actually do and how hard they will keep on trying to survive. 2) Even in the most dire of situations, there is humanity. The scene when he lets the insect go shows this. 3) Even the worst person is still a person, and deserves a chance to repent for past sins, i.e. deserves a second chance. 4) One wonders who the bad guy is in the story. The main character is certainly no angel. But, one ends up cheering for him anyway. All humans have faults and have done something wrong in their lives.... who are we to judge others? 5) In movies like this, one often wonders: What would I do in a situation like this? Watching these survival, fight-for-your-life movies can actually be educational - it can give one ideas of how to survive the most dire circumstances. One absorbs this in the back of one's mind somewhere... who knows if it may come in handy sometimes. Of course, life is not a movie, but some ideas can be useful. Excellent movie. I am not going to give spoilers how it ends, but it is truly worth watching. It was great, I really enjoyed it!