The Rover

A scruffy Australian bloke walks into a bar in the desolate Outback…and his car is stolen. Set sometime in the future—10 years after a worldwide economic collapse brought on by corporate greed in America and Europe—The Rover stars Guy Pearce as Eric, a peripatetic former farmer/soldier determined to retrieve his dust-covered vehicle. Repeating, “I want my car back,” Eric takes off in the damaged truck that belonged to the gang of thieving hoodlums, who are headed up by Henry (Scoot McNairy). Along the way, Eric saves the life of Henry's badly wounded younger brother, Rey (Robert Pattinson)— a sensitive dimwit—by taking him to a compassionate doctor (Susan Prior) after the desperados have left him for dead on the side of the road following a gun battle. Babbling, moronic Rey then becomes stoic Eric's traveling companion/hostage during his arduous quest. Co-writer/director David Michôd's sketchily scripted tale unfolds like an edgy, wannabe Mad Max/The Road Warrior clone (and was reportedly inspired by the anarchic upheaval in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo). A somber, sinister, sparse film full of pointless bloodshed and explicit violence, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Something Elemental” making-of featurette (45 min.), trailers, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)