Collision

Not sure how anyone can say this is an amazing film. At the same time it is not without some redeeming qualities. But really there is nothing special about it and a lot that holds it back from being legitimately good. I'm only compelled to write about it because it seems like so far it is just people giving it 8-10 or 1-2, and it's absolutely neither of those.

The acting is mostly decent here. There are some performances that are better than others, but the acting is one of the thing that does stand out as being one of the better aspects of the film.

The soundtrack is another one that is pretty good. It is interesting and varied, and usually does a good job of enhancing the action. At times it actually feels like the direction and editing are not up to the challenge of matching the tension created with the music.

Unfortunately a lot of the other aspects are somewhat amateurish. The plot is potentially interesting but it is all just too quickly executed, and it doesn't seem like a lot of it was very well thought out. There are a few interesting characters but we never spend very much time with any of them and so we don't form enough of an attachment with them for whatever ends up happening to them to feel meaningful. The events of the film are meant to be tragic, but the tragedy is undermined by the fact that we probably don't really care much about these people.

It's rare that I think a movie should have been longer than it was, but I think that's the case here. If we had more time to develop the tension in the film I think it would have been more effective.

'Collision' does contain some rather pedestrian acting and arguably clumsy editing, but it has far more merit than a series of harsh reviews would suggest.

The opening device of presenting the final crash and the dark progression of events create a mood of bleak inevitability which is, in itself, a comment on the social and political plight of South Africa today. It's a borrowing of the late Renaissance 'Spanish Tragedy' concept in which the personal faults of the main characters combine with circumstances to bring about the final catastrophe. The fact that the audience can 'see it coming' creates a sense of helplessness among them.

It's a good effort - not perfect, but definitely not deserving of the 'put downs' it's receiving!

All 3 stars are for camera work. This was a terrible movie that made almost no sense plot wise or for character choices.

Anyone rating this higher than a 5 was part of the film crew or affiliated with production in someway.

The last third or so was basically a remake of American History X, but with Africans and Nigerians.

Johannesburg, a city where the drugs are cheap, and life is cheaper.

Bright, posh girl, Niki, defies her loser father and snobby mother to date sexy singer, Larry. Meanwhile the middle level aspiring gangster, Bra Sol, is trying to set up trafficking deals.

The father daughter dynamic is further propelled by shopkeeper, Cecil, and his beautiful daughter, Palesa.

The three strands play out in intercut shots and sequences with mounting tension and violence leading to a tragic denouement.

The lights go out for the final scene in more ways that one.

This film describes the inter-tribal tensions of South Africa, with more than a whiff of corruption in big business. Whether this is true to life I am not equipped to say, but the exposition is well laid out. The story moves on with increasing pace as we see the tragic inevitability unfold before our eyes.

The photography and direction is good with the claustrophobia closing in as we reach the final moments of this hour and forty minute feature. It is no blockbuster with grand over paid Hollywood mummers, but is gritty, real, and emotional.

Worth a watch.

Set in South Africa, this is a terrific thriller.

I enjoyed the South African dynamic, with the multi-lungual environment.

Given the 'posh' girl teen rebel element, I found this totally believable. I like all the characters, just far away from the usual West Coast/East Coast/London clichés we see too often. For me, at least, this is a thrilling and welcome change.