I expected a movie in the vein of Transporter but was delighted to see a very character driven suspense filled ride where the camera hardly leaves the car. Fans of Frank Grillo will love this one. It's just him driving around, swearing the entire time, trying to to survive and sort out a huge mess he's found himself in as a getaway driver. It's simple but that makes the surprising bursts of violence and cameos that much better.
153 Reviews
Engaging from beginning to end
LittleLotti28 June 2018
This is probably more of a 6-star movie, but I had to bump it up a star considering that 99% of the movie is shot in the car, and a lot of that involves Wheelman talking on the phone, yet it never gets boring. From the first few minutes your interest is sparked and the rest of the movie is a thrill ride. There is a lot of profanity which I usually am not a fan of, but considering the storyline here, it didn't bother me. I do think the daughter could've been cast better, but Frank Grillo did an amazing job. I felt his panic. Wheelman doesn't try too hard, yet still has great action sequences and stylish camera shots. A pleasant surprise of a movie.
Different and enjoyable
Calicodreamin26 September 2019
Wheelman is definitely different than your typical chase thriller. A lot of the interactions are over the phone and feature the wheelman driving solo. I enjoyed the intimate camera angles, it makes you feel like you're in the car with him. The acting is pretty good and the storyline flows nicely. The perfect low budget film, doesn't bite off more than it can chew and produces a good movie. I Enjoyed.
A little picture that does a lot of stuff with style.
subxerogravity24 October 2017
Wheelman seems to be a lot of things at once. It's nothing I have not seen before but a great mixture of everything I love about car movies.
With most of the movie taking place in a car, Frank Grillo plays the Wheelman, a driver just trying to pay his dues for the people who looked out for him while he was in jail, but in the process of doing his "work" someone pulls a double cross on the job.
It's very weird how Wheel man reminds me of a lot of movies. From the 80s style found in the movie Drive, to the 1978 movie The Driver (In which Ryan O'Neal plays a Wheelman), to a Tom Hardy movie called Locke (Which completely takes place in a car), but despite what looks like on the surface as Wheelman coping the tone and style of a lot of films, It's saving grace is that it does a excellent job putting it all together. I don't know how hard or time consuming doing production in a car is, but I can see the filmmakers did a solid job with it, and good work Frank Grillo for keeping us interested in his character while in the car.
Sound is very important in this movie. It's interesting. instead of the usually burn rubber sounds we are use to, most of the car sounds come form inside the car. Crisp details from the backing up beep to the windshield wiper, puts us in the environment of the car. Netflix films and shows love to add background environment sounds, and this time it really makes the movie. Especially, at times when the Wheelman is on the cell phone communicating with actors who are not on screen.
So, not bad. I'm seeing a lot of different elements to a lot of different movies all warped up in one package and I like it a lot.
http://cinemagardens.com/?p=1749
With most of the movie taking place in a car, Frank Grillo plays the Wheelman, a driver just trying to pay his dues for the people who looked out for him while he was in jail, but in the process of doing his "work" someone pulls a double cross on the job.
It's very weird how Wheel man reminds me of a lot of movies. From the 80s style found in the movie Drive, to the 1978 movie The Driver (In which Ryan O'Neal plays a Wheelman), to a Tom Hardy movie called Locke (Which completely takes place in a car), but despite what looks like on the surface as Wheelman coping the tone and style of a lot of films, It's saving grace is that it does a excellent job putting it all together. I don't know how hard or time consuming doing production in a car is, but I can see the filmmakers did a solid job with it, and good work Frank Grillo for keeping us interested in his character while in the car.
Sound is very important in this movie. It's interesting. instead of the usually burn rubber sounds we are use to, most of the car sounds come form inside the car. Crisp details from the backing up beep to the windshield wiper, puts us in the environment of the car. Netflix films and shows love to add background environment sounds, and this time it really makes the movie. Especially, at times when the Wheelman is on the cell phone communicating with actors who are not on screen.
So, not bad. I'm seeing a lot of different elements to a lot of different movies all warped up in one package and I like it a lot.
http://cinemagardens.com/?p=1749
AN EXCELLENT EARLY 80'S THRILLER & GRILLO IS EXCELLENT
lukem-527605 September 2018
Frank Grillo is Awesome!!! He's like the new Charles Bronson to me, he's real tough, rugged, gritty, brutal & smart in his roles especially the instant cult classic "The Purge:Anarchy" his amazing performance as Leo Barnes was Excellent & catapulted Grillo to Action leading man status over night & now he's a great presence among all Genre's from Low-budget sci-fi B-movies (Cosmic-Sin, Jiu-Jitsu, Beyond Skyline) to Supernatural Horror (Demonic) to Horror-Thriller's (The Purge: Anarchy & The Purge: Election Night) to Mega budget Marvel films (Captain America franchise) oh yes the hard-as-nails but Cool anti-hero is rising & he so deserves this fame & fans & he's one of the best Action stars working today along with Scott Adkins.
Now i look forward to the next gritty Grillo film.
Grillo was also excellent in The Grey (2011) with Liam Neeson, he's become a really good leading man & action hero later in his career & he so deserves the attention he's getting right now!!!
As for frank Grillo in Wheelman well he's excellent again & gives a very intense & stressed performance & the movie is a gritty ride along in the crime filled night time world. The fact its all set within a car & Grillo is up front & centre & he completely keeps you engrossed in the story shows how great an actor he really is. I'm not into "fast car" flicks like the crappy Fast & Furious films or any car type films really but Wheelman is so damn good i couldn't help but enjoy it. Grillo is Awesome end of.
This has an exciting simple story like the good old gritty thrillers from the 70's & early 80's Bronson or Eastwood would make, it's directed really well & very slick looking with the excellent night time setting around the wet streets, it looks fantastic as it is exciting & frantic.
"Wheelman" is an exciting crime thriller with double crossings & bursts of violence so that's all you need to know about this thrilling Crime Thriller.
Now i look forward to the next gritty Grillo film.
Grillo was also excellent in The Grey (2011) with Liam Neeson, he's become a really good leading man & action hero later in his career & he so deserves the attention he's getting right now!!!
As for frank Grillo in Wheelman well he's excellent again & gives a very intense & stressed performance & the movie is a gritty ride along in the crime filled night time world. The fact its all set within a car & Grillo is up front & centre & he completely keeps you engrossed in the story shows how great an actor he really is. I'm not into "fast car" flicks like the crappy Fast & Furious films or any car type films really but Wheelman is so damn good i couldn't help but enjoy it. Grillo is Awesome end of.
This has an exciting simple story like the good old gritty thrillers from the 70's & early 80's Bronson or Eastwood would make, it's directed really well & very slick looking with the excellent night time setting around the wet streets, it looks fantastic as it is exciting & frantic.
"Wheelman" is an exciting crime thriller with double crossings & bursts of violence so that's all you need to know about this thrilling Crime Thriller.
good movie overall
amine_chergui22 October 2017
OK it's not the greatest thriller of all time but it still kept me on edge from time to time. It's the story of a man out of jail who accepts to be the driver in a bank robbery to pay back a part of what he owed a local gang. the robbery goes sideways and he finds himself in a situation where he doesn't know who to trust. That's the most i can tell you without giving any spoilers. But you can imagine how this can lead to several interesting situations. The only thing that bothered me is that the story doesn't go deep enough in the characters background and sometimes you don't feel how dangerous a character can be to the Wheelman. So i'd say that if you're looking for a good thriller to spend time without having to blow your mind, this Netflix movie will do the trick.
Nice Thriller and Almost Gripping
rsridhar20053 November 2017
I never heard about this movie before and absolutely no expectations. But, it turned to be a very decent thriller, which is able maintain its tempo well. No cheap thrills and unnecessary bloodshed. Frank Grillo does a commendable job and kudos to the director (Jeremy Rush) as he is able to provide a taut and slick movie. Good and well appreciated effort by the team.
Love the engine sound.
ThomDerd1 November 2017
This is a tense and fast-paced story that will keep your eyes on screen. Runtime is sufficient and doesn't get boring. What you got to love about this film is the sense of unpredictability and some nice sound editing accompanying the car shots. Also Frank Grillo is great here, the part fits his style. 8/10
Good, Tense Action Thriller
gwnightscream8 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This 2017 action thriller features Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy & Election Year) as an ex-con who is a getaway driver. One night, the job takes an unexpected turn when he's double-crossed and his wife and daughter are in danger. This is a good, tense flick which reminds me a little of "The Transporter" and Grillo is great in it. If you're into action or suspense,
check this out.
A surprisingly good thriller
Gordon-1125 December 2017
This film tells the story of a man who is the pickup driver of a bank robbery. A phone call from a mysterious man throws everything off the trail.
I can't quite believe how thrilling and captivating this film is. The mystery and suspense is well maintained throughout, and doesn't run out of steam. A striking feature that I noticed is that for most of the film, the vantage point is from inside the car. Only in the final minutes of the film do we get a vantage point from outside the car. This is a nice touch.
I can't quite believe how thrilling and captivating this film is. The mystery and suspense is well maintained throughout, and doesn't run out of steam. A striking feature that I noticed is that for most of the film, the vantage point is from inside the car. Only in the final minutes of the film do we get a vantage point from outside the car. This is a nice touch.
1.5 hours of watching a guy drive and curse
franklindf24 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This movie gets grating after a while. Basically the entirety of the movie takes place with the lead actor behind the wheel, dashing from place to place while visibly upset and making liberal use of foul language. After about 1/2 of that (if not sooner) it starts to get old and I just wanted it to be over.
Good Netflix original movie
phanthinga12 November 2017
With the title called Wheelman if you expect anything more than a movie about a man behind the wheel you clearly watching the wrong movie.Almost shot entirely in a car Wheelman starring Frank Grillo as a getaway driver being set up for a future gang war.The movie is not overblow with sick car chase scene like Baby Driver recently or as deep as Drive in term of plot but i enjoy it very much.With the short runtime about 77 minutes don't skip this movie because the genetic poster give it a chance
Good Solid action movie...by Netflix
qasimidris8822 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I really enjoyed watching this movie. Non stop action, great acting. Nothing new in the story-line but simple plot with some good acting makes this movie some what enjoying to watch.
Too many unnecessary F words. Some odd moments but overall really good movie presented by Netflix.
If you looking for a night of decent action movie don't be afraid to check this one out.
Too many unnecessary F words. Some odd moments but overall really good movie presented by Netflix.
If you looking for a night of decent action movie don't be afraid to check this one out.
A disappointment
Leofwine_draca25 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
WHEELMAN feels very much like somebody saw LOCKE and decided to make their own version of that film, albeit in a thriller context with more car chases and the like. This is a small-scale story starring the consistently interesting Frank Grillo as a driver mixed up with various shady characters. Much of the story plays out from the interior of his car, but said story turns out to be quite unremarkable, the usual mix of drugs, money, kidnapping, and small-time hoodlums. I didn't think much of the script, which is all mindless profanity, while the action never really gets going and there are too many cliches at the end of the day. I much preferred DRIVE which tells a similar tale in a much more powerful way.
What a surprising thrill ride!
MovieIQTest13 February 2018
Gee, never thought this movie would have turned out so good. I first thought it might be like the 1978 old movie, "The Driver", but it turned out even better! When I watched it, I also couldn't help remembering some of the crazy self-documented early Sweden motorcycle films, "Escape from Stockholm", one of the two guys sneaked his super motorbike out at the winter nights in Stockholm, driving around to lure the cops cruisers to chase him in the urban or suburban streets with lot of amazing and crazy driving techniques to get away from the city and highway patrols.
This movie is so sweet to watch. The leading actor performed such a believable role, a guy with superb driving ability, setting up in a jam by two different mobs and his handler; a guy divorced with a 13 year old beautiful daughter, also played by a very young, talented and pretty young actors. This movie is a winner, man. I like it very much.
This movie is so sweet to watch. The leading actor performed such a believable role, a guy with superb driving ability, setting up in a jam by two different mobs and his handler; a guy divorced with a 13 year old beautiful daughter, also played by a very young, talented and pretty young actors. This movie is a winner, man. I like it very much.
As I say simple and lazy or tight budget but which don't spoil the film
markthomassintek24 October 2017
REVIEW - THE WHEELMAN
A friend at work recommended this film and as I'd never heard of it I thought why not.
So I have a simple question for you, do you think the bigger the budget the better the film?
Case in point The Wheelman.
Obviously a tight budget but the in car camera shots are very original and actually add to the suspense of the interesting story being told but......
During the film there are silly lazy errors that whilst don't detract from the overall film do irritate. For example driving past the same neon lit shop front 5 times, having the hand brake light illuminated on the dash board, using the same frontage of a bar to drive past and later walk past.
As I say simple and lazy or tight budget but which don't spoil the film.
Plot moves along quickly enough with a few twists and turns to keep you interested.
Rating 7 out of 10
A friend at work recommended this film and as I'd never heard of it I thought why not.
So I have a simple question for you, do you think the bigger the budget the better the film?
Case in point The Wheelman.
Obviously a tight budget but the in car camera shots are very original and actually add to the suspense of the interesting story being told but......
During the film there are silly lazy errors that whilst don't detract from the overall film do irritate. For example driving past the same neon lit shop front 5 times, having the hand brake light illuminated on the dash board, using the same frontage of a bar to drive past and later walk past.
As I say simple and lazy or tight budget but which don't spoil the film.
Plot moves along quickly enough with a few twists and turns to keep you interested.
Rating 7 out of 10
Driver
kosmasp28 March 2018
No not Ryan Gosling nor Mark Dacascos (Kudos if you know what I'm talking about with the latter without googling). Also nothing to do with the game (Wheelman) Vin Diesel did voice many years ago. Having this all out of the way, this movie could also be called "Car(s)". We do stick to cars most of the time and often even inside them.
While that may sound dubious or maybe uninteresting, think about the movie "Locke" with Tom Hardy, but with a lot more action attached to it. Does it all make sense? Not really. Will you care? Well I can't answer that. I can tell you that if you don't mind logic issues and very convenient happenings (coincidence you say?), then you will be entertained watching this. Running time is short enough and Grillo carries the movie ... well drives it to the finish line ...
While that may sound dubious or maybe uninteresting, think about the movie "Locke" with Tom Hardy, but with a lot more action attached to it. Does it all make sense? Not really. Will you care? Well I can't answer that. I can tell you that if you don't mind logic issues and very convenient happenings (coincidence you say?), then you will be entertained watching this. Running time is short enough and Grillo carries the movie ... well drives it to the finish line ...
Frank Grillo rocks!!
TiredOldMan138 November 2017
I'm fast becoming a huge fan of Frank Grillo. From his early work in Warrior and Homeland to The Purge series it's hard to understand why he isn't getting more leading roles. Most of the action in this movie involves Grillo talking on the phone and driving around yet it never gets boring. Way better then the crappy fan favourite "Drive" starring Ryan Gosling. The movie flows at a decent pace and never really slacks off. Give it a watch.
Wheelman comes through in the clutch
vandeman-scott6 September 2020
WHEELMAN is one more example of less is more in filmmaking. This taut, low-budget crime thriller offers first-rate acting, suspense, and writing, and proves once again that filmmaking is really about the fundamentals of drama, not CGI in lieu of talent and imagination.
The premise, while "done before," doesn't bore. WHEELMAN manages to breathe new life into a classic plot, and because the action never leaves the car, you get to go along for a very thrilling ride.
There's not much to complain about in WHEELMAN. Netflix should aspire to this level of craftsmanship on every one of its productions.
The premise, while "done before," doesn't bore. WHEELMAN manages to breathe new life into a classic plot, and because the action never leaves the car, you get to go along for a very thrilling ride.
There's not much to complain about in WHEELMAN. Netflix should aspire to this level of craftsmanship on every one of its productions.
What Driver Should Have Been
bradley-trent23 October 2017
This spare, stark, simple double-cross story is hung on the bones of some of the best road-action camera work I've seen since the 1980s. The chase- scene shot sequencing hearkens back to the early giants of the genre: Bullit, The Driver, The Blues Brothers. The makers spend plenty of attention on watching the Wheelman manipulate the controls of his car and presenting realistic, easy-to-follow driving choreography. Nothing in this thing breaks your suspension of disbelief... unlike other multi-million dollar, CGI-choked car-chase franchises I can think of. Yes, as some reviewers have complained, most of the conflict is advanced through cell phone conversations, but that merely serves to throw the many actions sequences into even sharper relief. The director never pulls you out of the car to set you safely on the sidelines as the action goes whizzing by; you're in the seat with the bullets flicking past your head. Sit down, listen to the dialogue, and you'll like this inexpensive little jewel.
A Fun Ride from the Passenger Seat
anatomyoffear3 March 2023
This short, punchy little crime drama is a smart film that has fun toying with the conventions of the car crime subgenre while allowing the always watchable Grillo to add a heart to the muscle he's accustomed to playing.
He almost never leaves the car, and that makes for a pleasurably contained story in which we only see and hear what he sees and hears, effectively putting us in his shoes. A fantastic role from Garrett Dillahunt, on screen for less than ten minutes, is instantly memorable for his performance as well as the way he "leaves."
A fun drive worth taking, and not too long a ride, either.
He almost never leaves the car, and that makes for a pleasurably contained story in which we only see and hear what he sees and hears, effectively putting us in his shoes. A fantastic role from Garrett Dillahunt, on screen for less than ten minutes, is instantly memorable for his performance as well as the way he "leaves."
A fun drive worth taking, and not too long a ride, either.
Movie must see
kittyjn15 August 2018
Jeremy Rush's debut as a writer-director creates a B-grade production with A-grade results!
Top_Dawg_Critic20 October 2017
I've never heard of Jeremy Rush and noticed this is his first full length major film as either a writer and/or director. He accomplished both with great success. He created a B-grade production with A- grade results.
Don't go into this expecting (or comparing it to) another "Transporter" as it doesn't have the huge Hollywood budget, A-list cast or professional production team and backing. Nor is it meant to be a full out action thriller. Instead, it's a neo-noir mix of fast paced action and psychological thriller.
The writing had a few flaws but made up for it with excellent directing and outstanding cinematography (i.e. camera angles/shots)
Frank Grillo nailed his character and I think this was one of his most convincing roles.
I highly recommend this film, especially as a Sunday night pajama and popcorn flick.
A well deserved 9/10 from me.
Don't go into this expecting (or comparing it to) another "Transporter" as it doesn't have the huge Hollywood budget, A-list cast or professional production team and backing. Nor is it meant to be a full out action thriller. Instead, it's a neo-noir mix of fast paced action and psychological thriller.
The writing had a few flaws but made up for it with excellent directing and outstanding cinematography (i.e. camera angles/shots)
Frank Grillo nailed his character and I think this was one of his most convincing roles.
I highly recommend this film, especially as a Sunday night pajama and popcorn flick.
A well deserved 9/10 from me.
Frank Grillo continues to not disappoint!
levonmunoz7 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This a hidden gem on Netflix. Frank Grillo is awesome and makes his character believable. I'm a fan of the setting being taken in one location ( mainly in the getaway car and Porsche). Film is set up for anxiety after about 10 mins into the film.
Love the fact that they don't drag out the film and it gets straight to the point. The no name characters are a cool factor as well.
Definitely worth a watch when you have some down time for looking for a short film thriller.
Yes the backstory of the "wheelman" is a little dry, but if you can get past that it's definitely a good film to on watch!
Love the fact that they don't drag out the film and it gets straight to the point. The no name characters are a cool factor as well.
Definitely worth a watch when you have some down time for looking for a short film thriller.
Yes the backstory of the "wheelman" is a little dry, but if you can get past that it's definitely a good film to on watch!
Horrible
goldenbrisket28 August 2021
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
