Guy Pearce's car is stolen by Robert Pattinson's brother. Thus begins a nihilistic journey through a desolate, post-apocalyptic Australia. The film is unrelentingly grim and the violence is brutal; I actually jumped in my seat three times at acts of violence in this movie - the first is really incredibly disturbing and haunting. It's a strange, uncompromising movie and it boasts Pearce's best performance in a decade or more, I'd say. Unfortunately, Pattinson's performance is patchy and inconsistent; it's never clear whether his character is just not that bright or actually mentally challenged - in one scene he seems to just be kind of dumb and in the next, he's practically drooling. But I think that's the director's problem, not Pattinson's. The ending, bleak as it is, comes with about a million plot holes, but the film is still entertaining all the way through. It's really worth seeing for Pearce's performance alone; a scene in an army base is maybe the best acting of his entire career, bar none. There are too many flaws for it to be great or even very good but it's still a good, entertaining ride, even if you'll walk out of the theater thinking about how little sense the ending makes. Recommended if it looks interesting to you. *** stars.
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Je n'aime pas dans les vieux films américains quand les conducteurs ne regardent pas la route. Et de ratage en ratage, on s'habitue à ne jamais dépasser le stade du brouillon. La vie n'est que l'interminable répétition d'une représentation qui n'aura jamais lieu.