It started off interesting, albeit slow, and the more interesting it got, the more the plot holes began to surface, until finally it entered ridiculous territory, and I'm not talking about the big reveal - that was a nice touch, but - for example, there was zero need for any of the digging and burying if the (no spoilers) was to be used. This film even at a mere 79 min runtime was too long, too slow and too dragged out for the minimal content and basic narrative it had. It would've been better as a short film. It was however well shot and well acted, specifically newb actress Sophie Dalah, who's performance was the most convincing of them all.
16 Reviews
Fun little film
interastral16 August 2021
Clever little Crime/Thriller with good writing and excellent acting + a little something extra...
lathe-of-heaven26 November 2022
I would say go by pretty much what other positive reviewers have said here. You have a very clever little story which creates a very palpable sense of Mystery. You truly wonder what the hell is going on, along with our befuddled protagonist.
If the writing were not as sharp, I don't know if the story would have been nearly as effective. At first, you might think that the 'suitcase' is just a McGuffin (as in the outstanding and unusual 1955 Noir Classic 'KISS ME DEADLY' by Robert Aldrich - Isn't that just THE greatest title!) But, not giving anything away, by the end you actually do know what is going on.
The interplay between the characters is really what makes this movie shine. They both are quite good. At first, it kind of has a slightly similar tone to the also excellent Scorsese film 'AFTER HOURS', but far simpler and much more stripped down without all the Surreal characters and situations.
The idea of the story I feel is quite clever, and the way it is told is actually very straightforward and simple. But, when you get to the end, it has a nice punch. I'm NOT going to give away a certain element that is in this film because I see how it is listed Genre-wise and I don't want to spoil it. But, I will say that in all my profound cleverness I did guess somewhat along the lines of what was happening : )
So, if you like a nice, short, clever, sometimes humorous, fast paced Crime/Thriller, but with a very Mysterious twist, most definitely give this one a go!
If the writing were not as sharp, I don't know if the story would have been nearly as effective. At first, you might think that the 'suitcase' is just a McGuffin (as in the outstanding and unusual 1955 Noir Classic 'KISS ME DEADLY' by Robert Aldrich - Isn't that just THE greatest title!) But, not giving anything away, by the end you actually do know what is going on.
The interplay between the characters is really what makes this movie shine. They both are quite good. At first, it kind of has a slightly similar tone to the also excellent Scorsese film 'AFTER HOURS', but far simpler and much more stripped down without all the Surreal characters and situations.
The idea of the story I feel is quite clever, and the way it is told is actually very straightforward and simple. But, when you get to the end, it has a nice punch. I'm NOT going to give away a certain element that is in this film because I see how it is listed Genre-wise and I don't want to spoil it. But, I will say that in all my profound cleverness I did guess somewhat along the lines of what was happening : )
So, if you like a nice, short, clever, sometimes humorous, fast paced Crime/Thriller, but with a very Mysterious twist, most definitely give this one a go!
What's in the box?
nogodnomasters9 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Russel (AJ Bowen) drives a ride share. He picks up Charlotte (Sophie Dalah) as a fare. She has money and pays him cash to go to a house and wait outside with the motor running. Yup. Seen this part before as she comes running out of the house with a box being chased. Things get worse when they hit a man in the road. The real mystery is "what is in the box" that Charlotte would risk life and limb to get? After watching this thriller-drama for nearly an hour, how about a science fiction twist?
The film held my interest as I was curious about the box and Charlotte didn't seem to care about anything.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
The film held my interest as I was curious about the box and Charlotte didn't seem to care about anything.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
Did a little landscaping in college...
jfgibson7321 August 2021
I won't say this movie is awesome all the way through. There were some sequences where things dragged a little, and I started to wonder if I was even going to be able to finish it. BUT - I thought it redeemed itself by the end, which is very rare. I ended up enjoying where they went with it. It is clearly low budget, but that didn't really hurt it. They had an interesting enough story to overcome the limitations. The only other problem I had with the story was the main character's acting, which is a pretty big part of the movie. I got the feeling he was the director's friend or something, not a real actor. The girl who played Charlotte was the one who kept things interesting. If it wasn't totally original, at least it was something a little bit different and worth a watch.
Weak protagonist, cheap ending
ranprieur23 October 2022
This is a well-paced low-budget film about a driver who has a crazy night. There are movies like this that are completely serious, and the thing that saves Night Drive from total lameness is its humor.
The night before watching this, I watched Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps". In both films, a guy meets a dangerous woman who plunges him into a series of adventures. One reason that film is great is the spirit of its hero. He's impulsive, dangerous, highly competent, and has a series of narrow escapes against more powerful foes.
Night Drive's protagonist just goes along weakly with whatever's happening. Every decision he makes is either bad or obvious, if not both. He doesn't even do any good driving. This dude is playing on easy level, and at the end you're like, that's it?
There's also a big twist into another kind of movie, and all it does is make the audience say, "Wow, I didn't see that coming." Beyond that, hardly anything is done with the idea, and I think if this had been a straight crime thriller, the writer would have had to come up with a better story.
The night before watching this, I watched Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps". In both films, a guy meets a dangerous woman who plunges him into a series of adventures. One reason that film is great is the spirit of its hero. He's impulsive, dangerous, highly competent, and has a series of narrow escapes against more powerful foes.
Night Drive's protagonist just goes along weakly with whatever's happening. Every decision he makes is either bad or obvious, if not both. He doesn't even do any good driving. This dude is playing on easy level, and at the end you're like, that's it?
There's also a big twist into another kind of movie, and all it does is make the audience say, "Wow, I didn't see that coming." Beyond that, hardly anything is done with the idea, and I think if this had been a straight crime thriller, the writer would have had to come up with a better story.
Driving through ... the night
kosmasp29 October 2021
AJ Bowen - not sure if I can call him King of the Weird, but he sure has done a lot of strange movies. Now strange does not have to be a bad or a good thing particularly. And you may feel like some of his efforts are a miss and some (more) are actually hits. I don't know if you would call this a hit - but it's quite interesting to say the least.
And while we may expect a couple of things to happen here ... there is a twist that you can not see coming. Unless you have read some spoilers elsewhere of course. Don't do that though - you'll ruin the fun you could have. The ending is either intriguing too or a bit of dissapointment I guess. I liked it.
And while we may expect a couple of things to happen here ... there is a twist that you can not see coming. Unless you have read some spoilers elsewhere of course. Don't do that though - you'll ruin the fun you could have. The ending is either intriguing too or a bit of dissapointment I guess. I liked it.
Didn't buy it
Leofwine_draca24 June 2022
Not sure what others were watching but this is pretty bad. It's about a ride share from hell which starts off mundane but eventually turns murderous. Then there's a quietly ridiculous twist that turns this into a science fiction movie. I wasn't buying it; it just felt too low budget and unconvincing to work. Try the Spanish classic TIMECRIMES instead.
Night Drive
turtleloverules18 January 2022
Boooooring!
gab-6759910 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The ONLY entertaining part was when they get car jacked and drop their stuff. Other then that one part whit movie was only half good. Completely illogical, no one with half a brain would keep driving this chick around! I will say this, AJ was at least an enjoyable character. Now Sophie was just SO annoying! I was happy when he killed her just to make her shut up! This was not worth my time at all.
very original and entertaining
tkhissidoha30 August 2021
Some little insignificant plot holes that didn't make sense but that's all, other than that the movie was great, very entertaining , funny and creepy at the same time.kept me interested til the end. Just watch it, I promise you won't regret it.
Eh pretty good
irynahuduma6 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not big movie reviewer but this movie is okay. Some scenes were tad bit dark to see anything. I liked the ide of time machine, but I wish they put more scenes with it. Yeah and I agree that girl character made this movie more interesting.
Horrendous, Had to Turn it Off!!!
lukem-5276016 June 2022
Gory and Frustrating to Watch
wolfqueen202030 December 2022
I was excited for this movie but ultimately disappointed. The people who thought this movie was funny are clearly disturbed. No one thought to mention how disgusting and gory this movie really was. I nearly vomited popcorn thanks to the horrific behavior of this obvious psychopath.
This movie was just unreasonable, they took the time to build up this happy atmosphere with a sad man and then dumped a gallon of increasingly worse criminal behavior and textbook psychopathic behavior until it became this nauseating mix of genres and scenes that were just irritating to watch. It was if this man just couldn't make any decisions for himself, like he just refused to be the dominant voice in any situation. Then as a final slap in the face they add the sci-fi into it.
And I'm sorry that ending was pure garbage. Yeah we got the ending we desired but it was all way too easy after the immense struggle put up this entire time just to make the main character make one freaking decision of his own.
The girl was such an awful unlikable character who earned absolutely no sympathy. And the man was just as bad being a mopey pathetic loser who just couldn't do any better for himself.
The story was just....full of holes, there were characters we needed answers about or backstories and we got nothing. I'm so disappointed. Don't watch this trash. The people who think this is funny are sick.
This movie was just unreasonable, they took the time to build up this happy atmosphere with a sad man and then dumped a gallon of increasingly worse criminal behavior and textbook psychopathic behavior until it became this nauseating mix of genres and scenes that were just irritating to watch. It was if this man just couldn't make any decisions for himself, like he just refused to be the dominant voice in any situation. Then as a final slap in the face they add the sci-fi into it.
And I'm sorry that ending was pure garbage. Yeah we got the ending we desired but it was all way too easy after the immense struggle put up this entire time just to make the main character make one freaking decision of his own.
The girl was such an awful unlikable character who earned absolutely no sympathy. And the man was just as bad being a mopey pathetic loser who just couldn't do any better for himself.
The story was just....full of holes, there were characters we needed answers about or backstories and we got nothing. I'm so disappointed. Don't watch this trash. The people who think this is funny are sick.
If you liked Primer (2004), this is a more polished, straight-forward story.
BJSmithIEEE20 December 2021
I rather enjoyed the complexities and moral dilemmas of Primer (2004), which was shot on Super16 for only $7K.
This is a more polished, still yet 'indie,' title that takes some of those same aspects, and puts them to a more interesting, polished and straight-forward story.
The character development is excellent, and the build up quite interesting. It's also short at under 80 minutes without credits, and really no longer than it needed to be.
This is a more polished, still yet 'indie,' title that takes some of those same aspects, and puts them to a more interesting, polished and straight-forward story.
The character development is excellent, and the build up quite interesting. It's also short at under 80 minutes without credits, and really no longer than it needed to be.
Watch it!
miss-fortune-00718 August 2021
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