Autobahn - Fuori controllo

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.

Anthony Hopkins, just like Tommy Lee Jones in lot of their recent movies, simply is too old to play this heartless, stone-killer role. When an actor is too old, if some movie investors and casting agencies, still think they are box office insurance, they are deadly wrong. These old gizzards would turn off and turn away 99% audiences. Anthony Hopkins just looked so pretentiously and unconvincingly ridiculous, trying so hard to be a highly educated criminal, reciting Shakespeare, even Amadeus Mozart, on German soil.

Ben Kingsley too, also was a poorly miss-cast role in this film. The under-boss role he played in this film, was like an insult to the real criminals, I just don't know when he was so pathetically and fomulaically die-cast as a old sex beast/sex maniac, a pathetic character who would never climb up the criminal ladder to reach that level and position. It's sad to see this great actor now has to use his old naked body to make some dough, at the same time, a half clown and half jerk.

The young actor who played that mindless, die-hard romantic role in this film, somehow is a 50/50 right-wrong cast in this absurd car-chase, car-crash stupid film. His survival in this film was highly unlikely except he was conveniently provided with such lucks with the script, so all the time in the last minute, he would rise out of the wrecks.

Those car chases, car crashes on all kinds of roads in Germany, Hopkins' killers and himself could immediately appeared, even they could use this naive, dim-wit young guy's cell phone to pin-point his locations, the sudden show-ups were still not possible, unless these bad guys had the futuristic advanced technical devices from Star Trek's movies.

Again, lot of nice cars were wasted for those mindless "Grand Auto Theft" alike endless chasing and crashing scenes.

As the movie itself, well, okay to watch but, you've got to put your I.Q. aside first.

"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.

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.