Drive Hard

It's been quite some time since I've last watched a film that was just so... mild. On paper there's all this stuff happening - a bank robber, chases, a pair of frenemies - but it feels like nothing. The dialogue tries way too hard and feels awkward to listen to and the action scenes are slow and unexciting. Like that chase with bikers vs. the Mustang made it look like everyone was driving/riding like a grandma just below the speed limit, just to be sure. Waste of two good cars, too.

The real shame is that it's directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, who should be able to pull off dumb shit like this with a bit of panache. Cusack clearly knows the material is dumb and doesn't take off his hat and sunglasses even once and is vaping for most of the film. Jane is a little more invested, but not a ton more.

Pathetic action-comedy set in Australia and directed by exploitation auteur Brian Trenchard-Smith, who was responsible for such cinematic masterpieces as Turkey Shoot, The Man From Hong Kong and Leprechaun In Space. At least those films were enjoyable on a so-bad-it's-good level. Drive Hard has nothing going for it whatsoever, despite the solid casting of Cusack and Jane in the leads. It doesn't look or sound good and it's terribly paced with no real laughs. Avoid.

Thomas Jane is a likeable dude I wish he could get better work. John Cusack vapes across Australia to tell the bad guy a story about Buddha and then shoot him in the balls. That's basically all I got out of this.