Wheelman

'WHEELMAN': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An action flick about a getaway driver that's in a race to survive after he's double-crossed during a bank robbery. It stars Frank Grillo in the title role, and it costars Garret Dillahunt, Caitlin Carmichael, Wendy Moniz, Shea Whigham and Slaine. Jeremy Rush made his feature filmmaker debut writing and directing the movie. It's received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it was released on Netflix through their streaming site. I really enjoyed it.

Grillo plays a getaway driver that goes only by wheelman. During a bank robbery he gets a call from a mysterious unknown caller. The caller then threatens him and tells him to leave the two robbers behind. So once the stolen money is in his trunk, the wheelman takes off as he was told to do. Realizing he's in a lot of trouble, and his family is in danger, the wheelman struggles to figure out who double-crossed him, as he desperately tries to make sure no harm is done to him or his loved ones.

The movie is extremely intense and surprisingly (oddly) claustrophobic; as most of the film takes place inside of a car. It's really suspenseful as well, and it comes to a pretty satisfying conclusion (I think). The car chases and action scenes are all good, and pretty violent, but the film is surprisingly not that full of them. It's mostly just Frank Grillo, acting his ass off. The guy is an incredibly talented, and very charismatic, leading man action hero. In my opinion he makes the whole movie work. This rookie filmmaker, Jeremy Rush, also does a pretty impressive job too though. Netflix can do no wrong right now, almost, for me.

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Frank Grillo is Awesome!!! He's like the new Charles Bronson to me, he's real tough, rugged, gritty, brutal & smart in his roles especially the instant cult classic "The Purge:Anarchy" his amazing performance as Leo Barnes was Excellent & catapulted Grillo to Action leading man status over night & now he's a great presence among all Genre's from Low-budget sci-fi B-movies (Cosmic-Sin, Jiu-Jitsu, Beyond Skyline) to Supernatural Horror (Demonic) to Horror-Thriller's (The Purge: Anarchy & The Purge: Election Night) to Mega budget Marvel films (Captain America franchise) oh yes the hard-as-nails but Cool anti-hero is rising & he so deserves this fame & fans & he's one of the best Action stars working today along with Scott Adkins.

Now i look forward to the next gritty Grillo film.

Grillo was also excellent in The Grey (2011) with Liam Neeson, he's become a really good leading man & action hero later in his career & he so deserves the attention he's getting right now!!!

As for frank Grillo in Wheelman well he's excellent again & gives a very intense & stressed performance & the movie is a gritty ride along in the crime filled night time world. The fact its all set within a car & Grillo is up front & centre & he completely keeps you engrossed in the story shows how great an actor he really is. I'm not into "fast car" flicks like the crappy Fast & Furious films or any car type films really but Wheelman is so damn good i couldn't help but enjoy it. Grillo is Awesome end of.

This has an exciting simple story like the good old gritty thrillers from the 70's & early 80's Bronson or Eastwood would make, it's directed really well & very slick looking with the excellent night time setting around the wet streets, it looks fantastic as it is exciting & frantic.

"Wheelman" is an exciting crime thriller with double crossings & bursts of violence so that's all you need to know about this thrilling Crime Thriller.

I do thoroughly enjoy a large amount of what Netflix has been dishing out over the last few years, whether that be in their television series' or their films, I find that there is a lot of quality entertainment that they've released. "Wheelman" is another fine example of their good work. Nothing big by any means, it keeps things simple, but that's how it accomplishes so much. By restricting the narrative to center around simply a wheelman for a robbery is stuck in this messy heist gone wrong and he has to figure his way out alive in one night. The story gives more than enough material for Frank Grillo (the wheelman) to work with and provide enough cool chase sequences to entertain significantly.

Frank Grillo, as mentioned before, is the lead and he does a terrific job carrying this movie. His character isn't anything new that I haven't seen before in other countless films; a man who in an attempt to help out his family owes an underground criminal syndicate a large sum of money and the only way to pay them back is by committing enough crimes until the debt is paid. Plus he's also become estranged from his daughter and separated/divorced from his wife. But Grillo has screen presence and more than plenty of charisma that I'm still able to let myself become invested in his character.

In terms of 'getaway/car chase' movies, this comes to me as a breath of fresh air. Particularly since the last couple of examples I had seen in this genre were "Overdrive" and "Kidnap", which were both utter garbage. "Wheelman" outshines the both of them easily in narrative, characters, action, editing, acting, and basically everything else that comes to filmmaking. The makers behind "Wheelman" clearly know how to make the scene look good with stylish camera work and not just shaking it around while the editor has a field day with cutting every second, leaving the viewer disoriented in the most obnoxious way. The screenwriter knows how to build tension in a cohesive way that goes along with the plot, as well as the movie's characters, instead of forcing silly and idiotic moments that pulls the audience out rather than reel them in as it should.

If you're looking for a decently suspenseful car chase/getaway movie with a cool style and intelligently put together action beats then I believe that this should appease. Sure there are numerous of movies that are reminiscent of this film, but when it's done well like it is here, then it can still be a fun ride. So check it out if what I've said entices you at all.

This is probably more of a 6-star movie, but I had to bump it up a star considering that 99% of the movie is shot in the car, and a lot of that involves Wheelman talking on the phone, yet it never gets boring. From the first few minutes your interest is sparked and the rest of the movie is a thrill ride. I do think the daughter could've been cast better, but Frank Grillo did an amazing job. I felt his panic. Wheelman doesn't try too hard, yet still has great action sequences and stylish camera shots. A pleasant surprise of a movie, especially considering it's a Netflix movie. It's one I would watch again.

Wheelman is definitely different than your typical chase thriller. A lot of the interactions are over the phone and feature the wheelman driving solo. I enjoyed the intimate camera angles, it makes you feel like you're in the car with him. The acting is pretty good and the storyline flows nicely. The perfect low budget film, doesn't bite off more than it can chew and produces a good movie. I Enjoyed.