Collide

Action-packed films cover a multitude of different types of movies. Whether it be espionage, a race car film, a political crisis or a pending disaster, these films can keep a suspecting audience on the edge of their seats. These films can seem intriguing depending on the cast or the writing at hand, that when "Collide" came my way I thought that both the cast and premise were enough to want to see it.

 

To pay for his girlfriend's, Juliette (Felicity Jones) medical emergency while in Germany, Casey (Nicholas Hoult) schemes to pull one more drug heist with his buddy Matthias (Marwan Kenzari) for their eccentric boss, gangster Geran (Ben Kingsley). After a failed attempt at the heist, Casey embarks across Europe on the world-famed Autobahn on an action-packed chase in a race against time to save his girlfriend's life from being taken by an evil druglord Hagen Kahl (Anthony Hopkins). What both Kahl and Geran really want is the cargo Casey and Juliette are carrying. The selling slogan basically says it all: How far would you go for the one you love?

 

Others to round out the cast are Clemens Schick as Mirko, Nadia Hilker as Brigitte, Christian Rubeck as Kay, Aleksandar Jovanovic as Jonas, Johnny Palmiero as Fitch and Joachim Krol as Wolfgang.

 

This was effectively directed by Eran Creevy ("Shifty" '08, "Welcome to the Punch" '13). This filmmaker was able to connect these two young people--Hoult and Jones, so when the important scenes occurred they were able to exude their emotions--whether happy or stressed well and believably. He doesn't have a ton of experience in the director's chair, however given the opportunity, he definitely has the propensity of becoming a truly talented filmmaker. It was adequately written by F. Scott Frazier and Creevy based o a story by Frazier. These two writers aren't specifically seasoned, but this is a screenplay that develops momentum once it gets going. It's written as a flashback, and there are places that seem unexplained, however as the story unfolds, much eventually becomes explained and makes for an interesting story. There are still some disjointed places in script and some slow spots near the middle of the film, but all in all this does move along. Hey, how back could this be with both Hopkins and Kingsley in it?

 

Being one of those stories that pulsates with pounding suspense, the audience will be able to escape and have fun with an intriguing story. And isn't this why we all go to the movies? Even with some pitfalls, this still did deliver a palatable story.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                Rated: PG-13                                    98mins.