Overdrive

I watched Overdrive because I saw some nice cars in the trailer and I thought that if nothing else, this could be a decent B-list movie I would enjoy. No way, José. Scott Eastwood looks very pretty in this one and Freddie Thorp has no charisma at all. On top of that, the story is a stupid as a pothole in the road. I think that Antonio Negret is good at B-list action flicks, but the casting killed it. In the end, what saved the movie was a couple of good shots of old veteran cars. (03/10/2019)

The villains are alright, the winding roads of Côte D’Azur are spectacular and the two main female characters are much more pleasant to look at (starting with their faces) than the entire swimsuit-clad cast of Baywatch (which I had watched right before this movie, God help me). But in trying to deliver one plot twist after another with an increasing cast of characters on both sides, the screenplay turns it into a cheap failure of a B-movie. Especially when you compare it, for example, to The Italian Job, which had much more remarkable actors in its cast. Eastwood Jr. and Freddie Thorp are suited to the roles of the seventh and eighth fallen soldiers in the second action sequence of the sixth installment of Transformers. (05/18/2021)

I didn’t expect that the French could succeed with their clone of the American The Fast and the Furious, but it was watchable. I was surprised by two things. The first was Eastwood Jr., who handled the lead role quite well, without overacting; overall, his performance could be categorized as acceptable. I was also intrigued by the main theme, which wasn’t just about any ordinary car theft but involved stealing the most luxurious historical pieces from this industry. Even as someone who’s not a big car enthusiast, I was warmed by seeing such beautiful cars with dazzling histories on screen. The story didn’t offer anything innovative, but that was probably to be expected; the car chases were filmed briskly, and visually, there wasn’t much to criticize. I’m always happy when the French make a good film because they know how to do it. The ending was left open, but it’s unlikely the filmmakers will offer us a sequel. I’m satisfied with Overdrive, and I give it 67%. (03/07/2018)