Autobahn - Fuori controllo

This is not a movie with deep meaning, a complex plot or redeeming value but was surprisingly enjoyable. The primary characters were not glamorous but rather down to earth which lent a certain innocence and believability. I thought their acting was excellent and sustained the movie through to the end. The bad guys deserve kudos. Ben Kingsley and Anthony Hopkins played quirky drug lords which they pulled off really well in a low key manner. These are often the most difficult characters to pull off in a movie, often being overly done but not here. The secondary bad guys were superbly cast and relentless in the chase which kept the tension level high through the entire movie. Plot wise this was a basic caper gone wrong and chase movie with a surprising twist at the end. Wreakage and carnage on the Autobahn while extensive, was not overdone. In fact, the chase scenes and crash scenes were really well choreographed and not over the top or gratuitous. The only weakness was the ending which was predictable and didn't follow through which left a feeling of abruptness, probably forced through mandatory time constraints. As a result, Anthony Hopkin's character and story did not feel complete. Collide was great entertainment that didn't require deep thought to enjoy....

Comment: the main characters were not "backpackers" but rather ex- pats living and working in Germany. Seems to be growing tendency to refer to anyone between 20-30 as backpackers...

Not as bad as I was expecting. Brainless, with almost no plot whatsoever, but still made up for an enjoyable ride. Had some inventing camera work, but not really anything beyond generic. The action setpieces were by the book, as were the performances. Ben Kingsley and Anthony Hopkins are so over the top that it hurts, but the outlandish nature of their roles still makes the film funnily watchable. A simple and straightforward rethread of genre tropes that still ends up being, if not worthwatching, a all and all decent film.

"I need $200,000. You can have the rest. I just need you yo do something for me." Casey Stein (Hoult) has gotten mixed up in a drug smuggling ring and his girlfriend has been taken. Now he is stuck between kingpins Hagen (Hopkins) and Geran (Kingsley) with only one option. Steal from one and ask for help from the other. Casey is now left to wonder if he chose wisely. This is a pretty intense and exciting movie but at the same time really toes the line between generic and original. There is enough in here to make it seem fresh and new and keeps you interested, while at the same time being just predictable enough for you to stay one step ahead of the movie. Normally that's a bad thing, but when it comes to these B action movies excitement is the goal. This one does have that. Overall, nothing all that original or fresh but it is fun to watch and a good way to spend a few hours. I give this a solid B.

Collide is very much alike Creevy's previous work, Welcome To The Punch (2013) with additional love story between Nicholas Hoult and Felicity Jones as plot driven.

Casey needs money to cure his sick girlfriend, Juliette. A slick drug dealer, Geran send him on a mission, hijack a truck that belongs to notorious criminal, Hagen Kahl who can do anything to get rid of anyone in his way.

Here we have two antagonists as the opposites, perfectly crafted by Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley, who are responsible to put Hoult into a series of captivating cat and mouse action caper. At some points, i personally start to think that Hoult is the 'real cat' here who got 9 lives to live.

Relationships between these one dimensional characters felt under developed. Still cast members had shown what they've got to keep our interest going.

The stages are set extremely well to pull us straight away from start with only little time to think but somehow we already have sights on the finish line. A twist might be explained through exposition about 10 minutes before end credits.

Well, some fluid action sequences don't just COLLIDE with fluent storytelling. And it takes 99 minutes of running time to find out why.

A few good stunt sequences, a lot of action, but little brains in this contrived action thriller about a guy, trying to get money for his girlfriend's kidney transplant, who tries to rip off a major drug dealer in Koln by hijacking a delivery truck filled with golf balls filled with cocaine. He gets caught by said drug dealer (played by Anthony Hopkins, in what is basically an extended cameo) , and escapes far too easily in a car filled with five million Euros in drug money hidden in the door panels, and leads them on a high speed chase on the Autobahn.

Did you get all of that?

Far too complicated of a setup for what basically amounts to a car chase movie, with Ben Kingsley putting in the oddest performance of his life. The entire second act is a seemingly endless car chase, when one car is demolished, another is stolen, and the chase resumes (with the money now being carried by Hoult in a conveniently located tin)

Anthony Hopkins is wearing a really silly looking, double-breasted, sky blue suit throughout, which made me cringe at the sight of it, and wonder if this is supposed to be a comedy.

The second act car chase might be worth a look, if you're into such things, but this really is a braindead, mind-numbing affair.