User reviews

A disheveled loner (Guy Pearce) trails a trio of thieves who stole his car. Along the way he picks up the slow-witted brother (Robert Pattinson) of one of the thieves. Dystopian future or post-apocalyptic movies kind of blend together after you've seen a lot of them. So when one comes along that feels fresh like this one, it deserves praise for that alone. The acting is excellent. Guy Pearce has long been an actor whose work I enjoy but the big surprise here is Robert Pattinson, who ensures with this performance that he will be remembered for more than the Twilight movies. Taut direction with quality acting, writing, and music. It's a good movie but not for everybody. Dark, gritty, often slow and certainly violent. But it's also very rewarding if you're wiling to give it a chance.

'The Rover' is one of many 'post apocalyptic' films, offering us its vision of 'life after society.' This time they don't bother adding zombies to the bleakness, choosing instead to do something dark, gritty and hopefully realistic (think 'The Road' if you've seen that).

We're introduced to Australia, a few years after 'the collapse' (whatever that might be). Either way, it's left people basically to fend for themselves and the Outback is a dangerous place to be. We meet Guy Pearce (who, despite numerous Hollywood films under his belt, I still think of him as 'Mike' from Neighbours) who has his car stolen by a gang of wasters who are on the run. This seems to tip him over the edge and he goes on a crusade to get it back... no matter who or what stands in his way.

I've seen plenty of 'revenge films' where the hero must go on a rampage in order to avenge something. However, this is the first one I've seen the hero base his sole purpose in life in order to take back a set of wheels. Unrealistic as that may sound for a plot, I suppose it's give some added credence by the fact that he doesn't seem that stable to begin with. And here's my first problem with the film. I didn't like Guy Pearce's character. I'm okay with 'anti-heroes' who have to bend and break the rules in order to bring about justice. However, he seems to be pretty much without morals. I won't go into the exact details, but, soon after meeting our 'hero' he doesn't something pretty dark which doesn't really make you identify with him. He then meets a guy who looks a bit like a fat version of Robert Pattinson. I later looked on the internet and was shocked when I realised it WAS Robert Pattinson! I'm guessing he wanted to 'bulk up' and look as different to his sparkly vampire persona as he could. And he succeeded.

Then the two of them generally continue their quest for a car (and stuff). Now, seeing as The Rover has already been in cinemas, I'm guessing that most people will now watch it on DVD. And here's the thing... because the 'story' is basically either or both Mike from Neighbours and Edward Cullen travelling through the Outback and meeting one dodgy person after the next – then 'rinse and repeat,' you can actually use the DVD's 'chapter skip' option to take you through the story and not actually miss anything. Seriously, if you tried pressing the button a few times you wouldn't miss a single pertinent plot detail. It's just 'meet the next grubby character and keep going.

Now, I know I'm being a bit negative about it all, but it does have its good points... namely its look and feel. I mentioned earlier about how it looked like 'The Road' (only in the sunnier Outback, obviously). It too is dark in tone, depressing and does a pretty good job at showing how life might be if society fell apart at the seams.

Most people will either love or hate it. And I can see both arguments. You'll either love how dark and moody it is (dialogue is often pretty light and well spaced-out!), or simply find it dull. There certainly isn't enough action in it to call it a thrilling action movie. Basically, if you're in the mood for 'bleak and slow' then you'll get something out of this. An roller-coaster ride-explosion-fest it is not.

The Rover is an anti-blockbuster mainly because of its rhythm : it is very slow, therefore preventing many people to stick to it while watching it.

What you get here is not some amusement but rather gives material to think. We're not escaping from existence, like with e.g. Gravity, Hunger Games or whatever acclaimed propaganda. And it is quite disturbing as the more we go on watching the movie, the more we confront with some reflections about our time : there's no more gods, no more laws and we're getting increasingly isolated. Just the gruesome reality. People are striving to survive and protect what is theirs (always material things), though remains some hints of optimism - and Pattinson is playing quite well on this regard.

Screened out of competition at the 67th Cannes Film Festival David Michôd's second feature The Rover is not as fascinating as his Oscar nominated Animal Kingdom. Nevertheless it is an interesting picture and a respectable effort from the promising director.

The film opens to the Australian outback and says at the very beginning that it's been ten years after the collapse. People have suffered an immense economic crisis which left them in the vacuum of authority, lawlessness and banditry. Every single being on screen is desperate. A robbery gone bloody wrong, three men run away from the scene of the crime leaving a wounded brother behind. As their car breaks down along the way they steal another. It belongs to Eric and he is madly determined to get it back. What makes it more interesting is Eric and Rey, the man the gang left behind, come across each other and build up bonds.

At one point of their wearing journey Rey says "Not everything has to be about something" This stuck with me throughout, I took it as a way of saying the contrary -everything has to be about something-. Michôd's film works both as a post- apocalyptic nightmare and an absorbing contemporary western with something to say. Yes, the social commentary were a bit blatant at times (especially that talk between Eric and a soldier) but I like the whole aim of the film as to me it tried to look and find remnants of something human in its lost wanderers. Still though I find the finale to be infuriating, maybe that was the intention, but at least we get to learn why Eric is so inexorable about taking his car back. The reveal was heartbreaking and showed that one would still cling to love in the direst of circumstances.

As for Eric and Rey, I find their relationship intriguing. Eric is like the needed older brother, the father figure to Rey. Right after his singing "Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful" in the car, Rey goes and sits next to Eric. And at that moment I felt Rey wanted to come closer but Eric prevented it saying "go to sleep". I don't know, there was something there and I liked it.

The film is beautiful to look at, it's technically impressive and well directed. One should also mention the commendable work from its actors Pearce and Pattinson. Especially the latter who has never been better. While his face was distractingly over expressive on some occasions, Pattinson still gives a consistent performance as the half-witted Rey.

The world is reeling from an economic melt down. Society hangs on precariously in a state of lawlessness. Following a botched bank robbery a man's car is stolen. This is his story of getting his car back.

The main character is hardened, non communicative and solely dedicated to the task of getting his car back. What follows is a violent road movie with one of the most unlikable, grumpiest heroes of all time.

Despite being a total douche I did start to warm to the character. This is a clear indication of how well made the movie is. Guy Pierce is great, which is just as well as he is tasked with shouldering most of the load.

The world is grubby, squalid and dangerous. Yet it has an element of realism about it. The police desperately try to keep order in a world where most people have all but given up.

An enjoyable watch with a beautifully bitter ending.

In an extremely violent post-apocalyptic world where most human kindness and decency seems to have disappeared, a lone drifter hunts down a group of men who stole his car. That is, in a nutshell, the story of 'The Rover'.

The film is in many ways extremely nihilistic. There is little dialogue, the story takes place in the harsh and empty Australian desert, most characters are tough and tight-lipped, and the violence is abundant. This is at the same time the strength and the weakness of the film.

Watching it is an experience, many scenes are gripping and intense. But at times, I wished this would be a more 'normal' film, with more back story, more plot development, more dialogue. At the end, its slowness and weirdness got on my nerves. It is a very atmospheric film: the general mood of lawlessness, moral decay, and hopelessness is very captivating. But that in itself is not enough to carry the film. I would have liked a bit more explanation about why people act like they do.

One final remark: I was impressed by Robert Pattinson's acting. He plays a young man who seems to be not quite right in his head - an extremely demanding role.

It starts grim, it ends grim. The locations are beautifully photographed, and the minimalist score helps convey the bleakness and isolation of the piece. Guy Pearce growls intensely through his brief bouts of dialogue as Eric, and Robert Pattinson is effective as slow-minded Rey.

It is all very one note. When grimness is all there is, and there's no lightness or shocks to break it up, the film becomes sadly dull. I found myself drifting away quite often, and I wasn't given the impression I missed anything.

Others liked this, and that's great; but for me, I found it a bit of a chore. My score is 4 out of 10.

Just like the mud and the dust on the characters in the film, the excellent The Rover gets under the skin and remains there, long after the screen went black.

The story takes place in the Australian outback in the near future after a collapse. A bitter loner sees his car stolen by a gang and tries to get it back at all cost with the help of the wounded, simple brother of a gang member, left behind after a disastrous robbery.

Slow and intense The Rover sucks you into the desert, you can almost feel the heat and the flies in your face. Few words are used, more is said by gunshots. Here are no action heroes who at the end clean up the mess, restore the order and peace and let you leave theater with the feeling that you were nicely entertained. The people in The Rover are desperate to such extent that they've almost become indifferent towards life. They try to survive, period.

The bizarre relationship between the angry loner Eric and the naive, dependent Rey is wonderfully brought on screen. Both Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson deliver brilliant performances. Guy embodies perfectly the bitter,rude, inner wounded Eric with his body language and the intense gaze . Robert disappears into Rey, a damaged rather innocent soul who IMO has been taught to blindly obey and not to think for himself, in a way that will blow people away. The tics and blinks belong to Rey, you see them disappear when he feels more at ease, reappear in situations of stress. The supporting actors are amazing as well.

Although the film is dark, the mood is not cold IMO. Under the surface of alienation and cruelty there's a palpable emotional layer of vulnerability and fear. Michôd created a world frighteningly realistic and raw, a world we, civilized people, in fact don't want to face. With his second movie David shows again how incredibly talented he is.

I was eagerly anticipating The Rover and it met all my expectations. The performances alone is pure enjoyment together with the beautiful landscapes and the amazing music score. Some scenes are quite funny like Rey trying to do his best to be a good partner, or when he's singing.

There's also a lot to think about after watching The Rover. What collapse can cause such situation? How far are civilized people willing to go when there's nothing left to loose? Is Rey mentally disabled or is he the product of a very unfavorable education?

And why did I think about Animal Kingdom after The Rover had finished? See the movie and you'll know.

Sorry for mistakes, English isn't my native language.

I am becoming ever more partial to Australian cinema. And the futuristic thriller "The Rover" has only served to amplify my growing admiration.

Set a decade into the future after a catastrophic financial collapse, this severely stark story can't help but inspire a grim vibe of "The Road Warrior" smashes headlong into "The Book of Eli" variety of apocalyptic mood. The music is completely, and completely MIND-bending, Aussie indigenous. And the cinematography as realized throughout the ruthless terrain of the South Australian Outback by Natasha Braier is at once brutally gritty and strikingly spectacular.

Guy Pearce is plain and simple one of the finest actors of our time. Pearce's searing depiction of a guy who, having lost everything that matters in his life, has nothing left to lose is as sympathetic as it is repugnant. And that ain't easy to pull off. With a lesser actor is would be impossible. And let it be said that Robert Pattinson is a sheer revelation. He is damn near unrecognizable here, both in appearance and affectation, as a mentally challenged, trigger-happy man-child who nonetheless fully comprehends when a blood brother has egregiously and unforgivably let him down.

In the end we at last come to learn why Pearce's character of Eric is so viciously driven to recover the car a gang of ribald robbers had ripped off from him. And in that moment, and if possible, we find that we feel even more pity for the hopeless fate of this man doomed to be a rudderless rover for all the rest of his joyless days.

Not exactly the cheery stuff of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm", certainly.

But then again, neither is the end of the world.

What a bleak future this film portrays.

Felt like an apocalyptic Western meets old school Road Warrior. Filmed in the Australian desert, I think they could have financed this film from loose change at starring actors Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson's houses.

Without a doubt the best performance from Robert Pattinson I've seen. Granted, I've not seen too many Pattinson films but he does a really good job of playing the half wit brother of one of the dudes jacked Guy's car.

Mysterious drifter shows up at the filthiest, dingiest outback pub in Australia just for a glass of water. Three shot up dudes in a truck crash outside the pub, steal his car and he will stop and nothing, nothing to get it back.

It's a wonderfully dreary world in which this film is set. Everyone is so dirty. They should get an Oscar for make up when all the actors did was not shower for what looks about three months.

Lots of long shots, tension filled chords supply the majority of the soundtrack.

I really dug it. Most folks are gonna hate it. Very gritty. Very dirty. Very violent. Very non-Hollywood.

It's a nice piece of cinema. And there's a midget.

The reviews for this weren't exactly bad, or even mixed. But it did seem to get a lot of negative ones, and a lot of neutral, unpassionate ones. To my surprise, this is a fine film. Sure, not all that original, but the directing is really strong, as is the acting, Robert Pattinson, in particular, really shines and the best I've ever seen him be. Who knew he had this sort of performance in him, I certainly didn't, and it makes me interested in what he can accomplish in the future. Guy Pearce was strong too, with a pretty subdued, but very intense, character to play. The rest of the supporting players give some nice work too. Overall, I recommend this.

Greetings again from the darkness. This is writer/director David Michod's follow-up to his excellent 2010 film Animal Kingdom - one of my favorite films that year. While that film took us inside an Australian gangster family, this one is set in a dystopian Outback ten years after "the collapse".

Michod's script from a Joel Edgerton story goes pretty light on the details and depends heavily on the shared scenes with Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. Both deliver the goods, and Pattinson in particular is quite something to behold ... his gun shot wound plays second fiddle to the most bizarre speech pattern and accent we have heard in awhile. Initially appearing somewhat flawed in his mental aptitude, Pattinson brings his character through a full cycle of emotions. And that is the polar opposite of Pearce's character who though quite stoic, leaves no doubt that he is angry at 3 goons for stealing his last possession - his car.

The mood of the film and the tone of the character keep us in suspense on why this blasted car is so important to Pearce, and it's not until the final sequence that the mystery is solved. The more interesting scenes occur when Pearce and Pattinson are facing off - their relationship evolves from adversarial to something kind of touching.

The usually dependable Scoot McNairy plays Pattinson's brother, but really isn't given much to do except for his final scene with Pattinson. The most interesting supporting role comes courtesy of screen veteran Gillian Jones as the inquisitive Grandma. She leaves the impression that a film about her would be much wilder than the minimalistic landscape and dialogue of our feature.

Michod's latest is not at the level of Animal Kingdom but it does offer a couple of intriguing characters and vastly toned down Mad Max flavor. It's beautifully photographed and the sparse soundtrack is the perfect compliment.

The thing about The Rover is it doesn't only let the plot get out of the way. Other than pointing at the hero, the title sums up the overall film, it often wanders around the deserted roads and broken towns. There are plenty of stories hinted behind the rubble of the anarchic world, but the main focus of this tale is about a man who just wants his car back. This case gives the total atmosphere of the condition, it acknowledges how desperate and deprived humanity has been, and that point makes it really intriguing. The details are brief yet the center is clear and the film is best that way because it falters when it breaks that direction, but the experience as a whole still remains as fascinating.

The movie makes sure that it doesn't reveal too much detail; it rather just paints a post-apocalyptic world of dread and bleakness. Instead of just spitting out too much information from the dialogue, it just makes you contemplate at the hopeless exteriors and potential danger in the deadly context. The citizens have gone cold-blooded and their grim faces often get infested by flies. Looking at these images alone can already tell a lot of stories. The hero's arc however could have been the most powerful. He's a lone vagrant who only owns a car which is the last thing he values and yet it is taken away from him. We don't know enough of this guy, but we feel his determination and anger through his actions. The last part sort of compromises that core, which makes the point of the story seem cloudier.

There is something still special in this flawed journey, the filmmaking is plain brilliant. Director David Michôd is known for his slickest tension, and here he delivers more than that. His pacing gives plenty of room for deadly silence that usually leads to a sudden chaos. There is also a remarkable car chase at the beginning in which has a part when the angry rover uses his wheels like creeping footsteps. The entire set piece is one of the amazing scenes of the film. The music score is mesmerizing as it stirs every single scenario. The performances are also splendid. People might call Eric as one of the variations of heroes like Clint Eastwood's "The Man with No Name" or Ryan Gosling's Driver because of his strong, fearless, and quiet trait, but this character has an actual backstory. Guy Pearce perfectly manifests the gloomy emotion and hidden rage of the titular rover. Robert Patterson is also great in depicting his character's lost from his moral dilemmas and it sometimes gets a bit terrifying.

The final scene in The Rover makes the plight feel underwhelming. Despite of that, the experience is still extremely fascinating. It is basically a vast exposition that has a compelling backstory in every place they stop by. With all the heartfelt situations in its self-destructing society, it simply builds a bigger world. Indeed, that is a style which defines pure cinema and I guess that will fully admire everyone in the end. Its signature narrative could have been a lot straighter, but observing around the environment is already worth the ride.

Given the post-collapse Outback setting, comparisons to MAD MAX are inevitable. But THE ROVER has more in common with THE PROPOSITION; it's a distinctly brooding affair, gritty and somewhat nihilistic. We aren't given a background for "the collapse", but society's definitely a shambles. And that loss of morals is embodied by on-the-raggedy-edge Guy Pearce, who appears shockingly gaunt and emotionally beaten. He's the reason why I sought out this movie, and the reason why anyone should; it's a seethingly intense performance. The movie doesn't offer any reason why Pearce is gunning for his stolen car until the very end - and though I do like the reason given, this is a very bleak movie. It'll be a while before I ever come back to this one.

5/10

THE ROVER is a quirky and interesting little Australian movie detailing the collapse of society after a major economic collapse (thus making it an extremely timely movie in these financially-wary years). That it manages to successfully depict a post-apocalyptic world of sorts on what is obviously a limited budget is testament to the skill of the director and his crew, particularly the location manager and set designer.

This is a slow and sombre production with shades of SNOWTOWN and THE ROAD, although unlike MACBETH, which I watched the day before, it's never boring or dull. The story is sparse and drawn out, as this is a real slow burner of a movie, and yet at the same time it keeps you gripped to the screen. It helps that the ever-underrated Guy Pearce is cast in the lead role and gives a typically engrossing portrayal of a flawed man with a single-minded purpose.

There are some brief action sequences in this film and even something approaching a car chase, but it's not really an action movie. It's more of a suspense thriller with the tension gradually building as things approach a devastating climax. And, it surprises me to admit it, by far the best thing in the film is the acting of the young lead, Robert Pattinson. This guy is completely unrecognisable as the guy who played Edward Cullen in the TWILIGHT series. He's quite brilliant, giving a wonderfully mannered and sympathetic performance of a simple man who ends up being used and abused by everyone around him, and his performance comes out of nowhere. It's as though Pattinson was bored with the plastic TWILIGHT films and wanted to do something the polar opposite in order to prove his worth as an actor. Well, he successfully does that, and then some; his performance is outstanding, and made the film for me.

It's very hard to give credit to anything in this movie, even where it might be do, when just about everything that happens involves people behaving like idiots.

This nonsensical mess goes on and on but manages to be so off the charts bad that you are kept from leaving early.

And then you receive your "reward" for waiting, an ending that will make you lose the mental brake that keeps you from spouting words at random at an elevated volume that convey to others the impression that you've just been had and feel a considerable amount of displeasure about the fact.

"10 years after the collapse"? Of what, brains? Animal Kingdom at least made some kind of sense.

I was very motivated to watch this movie because I truly admire Pattinson as a full on artist. I had the feeling his performance was going to be good,but I honestly didn't expect "great", and I was so taken over by it! I'm happy he had this chance to show he it's not "just a handsome face". After this performance powerful yet subtle and mighty professional, Pattinson shows what he is made of. I hope after this he gets more roles and invitations to work for serious movies. He reminds me of both DiCaprio and Pitt at the beginning of their careers. Guy's performance was off the charts. Don't miss his expression on th last 10 minutes of the movie. It's of the best I have seen him deliver. I believe this movie will never be a crowd pleaser because it is way too artistic to be popular, there a many symbols and allegories to losses that will be missed... It's a work of art though. Perseverance pays off Mr. Pattinson. Keep up the good work and good luck.

3 out 4 stars.

David Michod's 2014 film "The Rover" tells the simple tale of Eric (played by Guy Pearce) and the search for his car in Australia 10 years after "the collapse". It is a slow burning film that is more of a character study than a post-apocalyptic thriller. Michod focuses more on character, mood, and atmosphere.

Eric is a man of few words and holds a cynical view of the world. The desert wasteland around him is a place without justice, where brothers leave each other behind and humanity is hard to hold onto. Eric and everyone around him are trapped in this world like dogs in cages. When Eric's car is taken by 3 men (played by Scoot McNairy, David Field, and Tawanda Manyimo), he goes on a search for it and meets Rey (played by Robert Pattinson), the brother of one of the people who took Eric's car.

Eric, willing but reluctant to use violence, and Rey, who is eager to use but fears violence, traverse through this old western-like world as they struggle with the good and evil in themselves. The car is the key to understanding Eric more (which I won't spoil here).

Guy Pearce carries the film brilliantly (he doesn't even need to speak in order for us to understand what he's feeling). Robert Pattinson also does good job as the mentally challenged Rey. Watch how they contort their bodies (like Eric's slouched shoulder). Antony Partos' score is moody and hypnotic and Natasha Braier beautifully captures the scenery. Braier's cinematography is calm in this chaotic world and lingers on the characters (sometimes it is very effective and other times it drags the film).

The story is a bit forced at times and some of the scenes do not seem necessary, but "The Rover" is an engaging film that questions the good and evil in men and how to survive in a world without justice. Michod is a fresh and original voice and Pearce gives one of his best performances.

Because it's pretty clear that anyone rating this a 10, like so many have, are getting paid to push this steamer. If you're going to watch this, you'll have to suspend all logic to be able to make it 5 minutes without shaking your head. And I'm ok with suspending belief to be able to get into a movie but the logical disconnects here are ridiculous.