Bring Him to Me review.
Bring Him to Me features two great leads and a constantly shifting story that never loses its intensity. On VOD and in select theaters this Friday.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Bring Him to Me
Directed by Luke Sparke
Screenplay by Tom Evans
Starring Barry Pepper, Jamie Costa, Sam Neill, Rachel Griffiths, Liam McIntyre, Zac Garred, Harley Bronwyn and Alex Fleri
Bring Him to Me Review
We usually stick to horror (or at least horror adjacent) movies on this site. Exceptions have been made in the past when an exciting thriller comes along. Bring Him to Me may not have a masked killer or a supernatural angle to it…but it has 90 minutes of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Led by two standout performances…Bring Him to Me changes the focus of its story to keep its tension boiling.
When a job goes sideways a veteran driver (Barry Pepper) finds himself tasked with delivering a young colleague (Jamie Costa) to their boss for punishment. The permanent kind. Many dangers stand between them and their destination…a place that the driver is increasingly hesitant to arrive at.
Pepper and Costa are terrific. Officially credited as “Driver” and “Passenger”, their characters are given an incredible amount of depth by comparison. They start off as complete opposites. The stoic, older driver who has no use for conversation. The young, talkative passenger just trying to provide a better life for his daughter. The stakes are high in Bring Him to Me. The passenger is accused of a crime that he claims innocence for. He is completely unaware of what waits for him if they make it to where they’re going. The driver knows what’s at the end of the line. And so do we.
We see the job that went wrong intercut throughout the first act of Bring Him to Me. The passenger and a partner are tasked with robbing a dangerous man named Frank (Sam Neill). Frank makes it clear that no one who steals from him lives long enough to spend a dime. Before they can get clear of the job…the passengers partner loses control and beats Frank (seemingly) to death. The driver is waiting in his getaway car to get them out of Dodge.
The synopsis for Bring Him to Me centers on the driver’s moral dilemma with completing his task. While it is part of the plot of the film…it isn’t the only focus the story takes. In fact, it shifts a few times. While the driver’s job and the passenger’s fate hang over everything that happens…it’s a long road to where they’re heading. There are dangers around every corner. From the police to local losers at a gas station. An already complicated drive becomes increasingly difficult to complete. Both physically and emotionally.
This is where Pepper and Costa take over. They grow a natural rapport. The driver opens up about his life…the passenger proves himself to be a stand-up guy and a trustworthy partner. But the driver has his orders…and failing to deliver opens another world of problems. What begins as a sad march to a horrible fate turns into a growing bond and, at times, a fight for survival. But the mission is always hanging over the driver’s head. Halfway through Bring Him to Me a major plot point is resolved. Instead of relieving some of the tension the movie has built…it adds a layer of dread to the proceedings. If this story isn’t heading in the direction that we thought…it might be heading somewhere even worse.
By the time we reach that point of the story Pepper and Costa have completely won us over. Whatever waits for them…whatever decisions are made…these leads have taken us for an incredibly intense ride. There’s another shift coming for the story…one we won’t spoil here. Each time the focus of Bring Him to Me changes it only refreshes the suspense and atmosphere the characters are driving through. Tom Evans’s script does a great job keeping things moving…and making us feel like they’re moving in the wrong direction. Director Luke Sparke delivers a dynamic feel throughout his film…and a look to match. This is a great-looking film with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and nervous, throughout.
Which brings us to the one issue we have to address with Bring Him to Me. Just as the focus of the story shifts again…the movie stops. There is an ending…it just ends with the promise of something else that we’d really like to see. I don’t believe it is to set up a sequel. I think it’s just how they chose to end the story. Given ten more minutes to pay off the final road the story lays out…Bring Him to Me could have been elevated to the status of stone-cold classic. Still…what we get here is very good. Nearly great, in fact. It comes with a few miles of so much more.
Scare Value
There is something to be said for the concept of “leave them wanting more”. But it’s hard to watch the ending of Bring Him to Me and not wish there was another ten minutes to go. The movie changes directions a few times…but never shakes off the suspense and intensity that surrounds the driver and his passenger. Two excellent performances lead us through a twisting crime thriller that zags when you least expect it. It may have been ten more intense minutes away from being a classic.
3.5/5
Bring Him to Me Link
Order on VOD from VUDU
