Powder Keg

Eliminate the country, the brutal government, most real names, and what you have is a look into the inner sole of what it is to be human. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu does a masterful job with this piece based on a massacre of people and shooting of a war photographer. These BMW Films have all been exceptional. This is true art... when your friends complain about Hollywood, tell them they are not looking hard enough.

This short film occurs in January 13, 2001, where a Times war photographer -Harvey Jacobs (Stellan Skarsgård)- is wounded while witnessing a massacre at Nuevo Colon by terrorists. In a desperate effort, the United Nations sends a vehicle to get him out, a BMW driven by Clive Owen.

This film, in comparison to any other film of the Hire series is possibly the best. The mark of Alejandro González Iñárritu is without contest the deepest one I've seen to date. It can't be denied that every second of the films matters in one way or another, either it is the feel of the environment, characters or even the state of mind. But since I'm a fan of his work I think I might be a little biased.

The real hero of the film is actually the photographer's mother (Lois Smith) who really made a spectacular performance. I've seen the film about five times and I am still touched by her performance. Great Film 9/10

As part of the BMWFilms series, Powder Keg is one of several great short films commissioned by the car company. Inarritu is a fantastic director, and his genius shows through this gripping, action-packed car chase. What sets Inarritu's film apart from some of the other BMWfilms is the gritty detail, the harsh realism of what is being portrayed. The violence is not glamorized, nor the main character's plight as a photojournalist romanticized.

The fifth "The Hire" movie is an impressive little short. It's impressive because of the story, that is helped by its gritty atmosphere.

The atmosphere is wonderful and typically Mexican style like. It really reminded me of "Man on Fire". It's gritty and sets the perfect mood for the story. The great cinematography is from 2 times Academy Award winner Robert Richardson and the music is from the talented composer Harry Gregson-Williams.

The movie and its story know to impress and it has some wonderful dialog, altogether with a powerful ending is what makes this movie a bit of a must see.

8/10

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While all of the other 4 films in the "Hire" series are fine examples of short film-making, they were pretty much nothing more than Clive Owen's fancy driving of the BMW vehicles with a slight back-story thrown in.

This film was from start to finish a stunning, and powerful story. Gripping, gritty cinematography with fine acting. This time the car was the back-story - not the focal point.

A wonderful conclusion to the series, and a must view. It's free and available on bmwfilms.com right now, so what are you waiting for?