Swerve (2013)

Another Neo-Noir, this One from Austrailia, in the Tradition of John Dahl's Red Rock West (1993) and Oliver Stone's U-Turn (1997). Throw in a Little Coen Brothers and a Dash of Everything Else Ever in this Type of Thing and You have a Watered Down Version of Some Very Good and Entertaining Films in the Neo-Noir Genre.Unfortunately this is Nothing New and so Irritatingly Nothing New and that Keeps it from Becoming Remarkable. It isn't Bad its just a Bit Wearisome and Not that Well Crafted. There are Some Glaring Edits and Transitions that are Head Scratchers and Confusing. The Gist is that They just don't Make Any Logical Sense.The Appearance of a Formerly Beat Up Car, looking Raring and Ready to Go and the Jarring Scene where Our "Victim" of the Femme Fatale is Shown One Minute in a Watery Well and the Next is in Some Subterranean Situation of Tunnels and a Surprise.It is Worth a Watch for Some Striking Cinematography and a Quirky Score and the Thing Moves Along at a Pounding Pace. There is Fun to be had here if the Thinking Cap is Removed and the Popcorn is Buttery, but there isn't Much Style and the Inclusion of the Marching Bands as Something Edgy is More Corny than Cool.

I went to see Swerve on December 6th and 7th. I'm glad I saw it twice, because there were a lot of little things that I picked up the second time around that I'd missed in the first viewing. I love films that have that sort of layering -- what a great surprise for people who go to see them more than once, and an incentive for others to see them again! Wish I could've seen the movie a third time before it left the theater. What a disappointment to find that it was not held out for the following weekend (contrary to what I had been told by someone at the theater when I called on the 8th to find out how long it would be there). Guess I'll just have to buy the DVD/Blu-Ray and watch to my heart's content. :)Anyway, on to what I thought of the movie:The landscape was absolutely stunning. All that broad expanse of desert with the beautiful rocky outcroppings, the quaint little town that housed the police station and hotel, and the clear blue sky that went on for miles and miles..... wow, just beautiful. The cinematographer captured it perfectly. I really liked having an occasional little flutter of things in the right side of the screen while the main action was happening elsewhere. It kept me on my toes and reminded me that I need to pay close attention to everything that's happening (which paid off the second time I watched the movie, when I noticed those other little details that I had missed the first time) because it's all related and important.I loved that there was no dialogue in the first several minutes of the movie; that the story unfolded through action alone. It's a fantastic storytelling technique, and it drew me in right away. I noticed that the film overall was very quiet, as compared to American films that have musical scores pervading every second of every moment, guiding viewers toward whatever emotion we're "supposed to" feel in each scene. With its creative use of silence, Swerve struck me as a "thinking" film, one that doesn't just hand the audience a canned experience but encourages viewers to really immerse ourselves in the story and get lost in it. I have to tell you, I was on the edge of my seat throughout parts of the film fighting the urge to talk to the characters or shout at them or warn them. My ideal movie-going experience!The initial crash, with its tumbling car and the windshield blowing out was absolutely awesome -- I literally jumped the first time that car came careening toward the audience -- and the chase scene culminating in the train sequence was so adrenalin-packed I totally forgot about the popcorn I was holding.The characters were well written and well acted. I could really see the struggles that Colin went through as he kept trying to do the right thing but ended up stumbling along the way (whether through being used by Jina or through his own weakness, given each situation). Jina was so well done that I really found myself disliking and distrusting her, and was glad she got her comeuppance in the end. I felt the anguish and betrayal that the policeman felt at the hands of his wife, and I saw the reasons for his manic actions (not that I condone them, I just understood where he was coming from). I was blindsided by the bartender (kudos to the writers for that!) and I couldn't get myself to like the blonde guy that was following the money -- which was probably the intent, hmm?I loved this movie. Have I said that already? I'm sad that it didn't get the publicity it deserved, which resulted in such miserable box office numbers (in San Diego, anyway -- I hope it fared far better in the other cities in which it premiered). I really think this film needed to be better promoted here in the States before it opened, especially since it was opening in so few theaters. I only stumbled upon it by chance one day, and even when I looked for trailers and news about showings I was hard pressed to find very much. I hope that experience was isolated to San Diego and that the other cities marketed the showings enough and created enough of a buzz that they got the numbers needed to bring Swerve to more theaters here in the US. Quick note: There is a great deal of profanity in this movie. I mention this in case viewers are language-sensitive. There is also one instance of semi-nudity, with the female lead being briefly seen topless through the water of the swimming pool.

Why oh why is it always the script that's the weakest link in Aussie movies? Swerve could have been good. It looks like a real movie, but it descends into the usual Aussie weirdness where the script was too self absorbed and it all goes to crap. It had promise, it had a certain polish while keeping that Aussie grittiness that Australian movies do so well. Great scenery, some solid acting, (although some scenes like "WTF are they on now?") Usual good cinematography and some quirky locations, but as usual it disappears up its own arse. What did the publican mumble at the end? I didn't care, I was just glad it was over. I will never want to watch it again to find out.

I saw Swerve at the Melbourne International Film Festival last year. What a ride! The films' director Craig Lahiff (previous film fame Heavens' Burning (Russell Crowe) and Black and White (Robert Carlyle)) prefaced the screening by saying "have fun" – I sure did! Too often Aussie audiences seem to take Aussie films too seriously, this was just good old' entertainment and the audience really got into it! Swerve is an action packed and sexy neo-noir thriller with twists, turns and all sorts of goodies in-between. It's a confident film and knows how to have some fun. The twisting plot always keeps you on your toes and the hot Aussie stars David Lyons, Emma Booth and Jason Clarke are all well cast for their roles. It was great to see an Australian film with some proper action in it. Roy Billing and Chris Haywood make some colorful cameos. Travis McMahon plays a ripper of a bad guy and it was good to see Vince Colosimo in some rough-house fight sequences. Hopefully Swerve comes out in cinemas soon – everywhere it plays it gets a great response. Australia should make more movies like this!