Look It In The Eye

David Michôd’s latest creation, The Rover tells the story of an ex-soldier, played by Guy Pearce, and his quest to track down his stolen car with the help of an unwilling accomplice (Robert Pattinson).

Set in the heart of the Australian desert, The Rover is a stunning film in regards to its cinematography. Each scene managed to capture the beauty of the Outback and Micod’s use of holding the camera in one singular place after a scene allows the audience to take in its wonder.

Pearce, who plays the lead Eric, is not offered much in dialogue, but what he lacks in words he makes up for in non verbals. Pearce clearly showed the internal struggle this harden solider has faced with the way he walks and how he reacts to the horrors throughout the film. Pattinson, who plays the unwilling accomplice, definitely took on a role outside his comfort zone. My only issue with his performance was the accent. It was difficult to understand him at points which detracted from the scene.

Most of the film only skims the surface of the plot without every diving in. The same can be said for the character development. The audience is left wondering why Pearce’s Eric is so cynical and what the point of Pattinson’s Rey was aside from being the accomplice. There was a lot of storytelling left to be done.

The Rover is a beautiful film but not a film for everyone. If you truly love movies for their cinematography or if you’re a big Pattinson fan this film is for you. If not, I would wait for it to come out on DVD.

Rating: C+