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Transit
Stars: Jim Caviezel, Elisabeth Röhm, James Frain, Diora Baird, Harold Perrineau, Ryan Donowho, Sterling Knight, Jake Cherry
Director: Antonio Negret
Jim Caviezel puts himself through hell (again) in this tough, no-nonsense little thriller that fairly stomps along under the lash of percussion-driven music that helps you ignore the story's several improbabilities and go for the thrill of the ride.
Four ruthless robbers heist 4 million dollars, reneging on an agreement not to shoot the (bribed) guards. Thus we've established that they'll stop at nothing, piling the pressure on Nate (Caviezel) and his family, off to re-bond on a camping trip, following his release from an 18 months' prison sentence for real estate fraud.
The 15-year-old, Shane (Knight), a right pain in the butt, hates his father, while wife Robyn (Röhm) has grave reservations and 11-year-old Kenny (Cherry) is caught in the middle.
Their misfortunate, which will dwarf family squabbles, is to be on the same stretch of road as the bandits who, stymied by a police roadblock, transfer the money to the family's car when both stop. The plan is to run them off the road (why don't they just wait for them to stop again?), something that's foiled when the cops stop Nate for speeding and find out he's on parole.
While Nate languishes overnight in jail, the crooks break into the family's motel and terrorise Robyn - but fail to find the money.
That's just the beginning of an incident-filled, non-stop, bloody pursuit through roads and the Louisiana everglades, ending in an amazing, bullets-flying siege of a woodland cabin.
Suitably full-blooded performances from all concerned keep the excitement at fever pitch, although the teenager's readiness to diss his father at every turn grows progressively more unlikely. Caviezel himself registers convincing desperatipn throughout, especially when his nearest and dearest become convinced he was in on the robbery, and leave him at the mercy of the villains in the middle of nowhere.
David Quinlan
USA 2011. UK Distributor: G2 Films. Colour (unspecified).
87 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.
Review date: 14 Apr 2012