Wrecker is a Filmmaking Car Accident: A Film Review

*an online screener of this film was provided by XLRator Media.

Director: Micheal Bafaro.

Writers: Micheal Bafaro and Evan Tylor.

Cast: Anna Hutchison and Andrea Whitburn.

You can prepare for a lot of car metaphors as Micheal Bafaro's (The Devil's Ground) Wrecker crashes into this review. Full of wheel spinning, Wrecker's plot moves ahead as if in rush hour traffic. This two note script does little to inject any life into the screen. Meanwhile, the film's reality is broken up with the introduction of several faux conflicts. Amoral characters Emily (Anna Hutchison) and Leslie (Andrea Whitburn) cannot outpace an old tow truck, despite driving a modern sports car. Scenes are sped up to create tension. But, Wrecker still offers a lackluster time, in which the viewer's patience is tested and broken; there is not even a single car crash to gawk at, despite the film's title.

Emily is the protagonist in the film. She has lied to her boyfriend about her trip and a weekend of partying. Then, she wonders why her boyfriend is talking with another girl, during a phone conversation. Leslie is equally oblivious as she pours longneck after longneck down her over-used throat. Leslie likes to antagonize everyone around her, including the local waitress. Though, you might not want to upset those who make or serve your food. Otherwise, you might be eating a spit sandwich. Both of these characters play a long game of chase, with a tow truck driver. The driver has too much time on his hands and he spends it bearing down on the bumper of Emily's Mustang GT. However, bumpers never hit and this film misses almost every mark.

Character Emily has no character arc, nor jagged edges.

The pacing within Wrecker is negligible. Events in the story move along too slowly. Characters are introduced to the viewer. Then, the film's plot does not move ahead for another eighty minutes. Meanwhile, your time is wasted with intolerable shots of locals drinking beer. Or, a laughable shot of the tow truck's pentagram offers semi-comedy and no terror. There are several scenes involving inane dialogue between Leslie and Emily, which make the ears bleed. To stretch out the film further, the girls ogle a car in the middle of the road, because driving around it would make too much sense. Later, Emily tries to confront the tow truck driver by running up to his cab, not realizing that the semi-mysterious driver can just pull up ahead, with a push of the gas pedal. Entire sequences and scenes are just served up as filler.

There is no tension in the film, because there is no believability. Is it really so hard to drive around a tow truck? These two characters drive worse than an octogenarian; they might be better off on a motorized scooter. They will not pass the other driver, despite an expanse of clear roads and the tow truck driver will not even hog both available lanes, blocking their passage. Still, the Mustang trails behind the other, larger vehicle, for well past an hour. A later scene involves an important object being found in the truck. Yet, Emily does not hear it moving around for over thirty minutes. Improbability is the name of the game and Wrecker never drew this viewer into the false film reality.

Wrecker is a very lackluster production. Viewers will find their time wasted by this mediocre film outing. The blame mostly lays on Micheal Bafaro's shoulders. Though the film might have been hampered by budget, Bafaro shows no ability to create tension with the use of the camera. The vehicles often look too distant from each other, deflating the possibility of tension. Also, the director is unable to create any presence for the villain. He is just seen simply driving his rig. This driver never closes the distance to physically confront Emily nor Leslie, onscreen. The villain is just another flat character, like all the rest. As well, the viewers' time is not respected. Bafaro is not interested in entertaining the watcher. He is only interested in shooting chase sequences from afar. Similar to the many drawn out chase sequences in the The Hitcher (2007), not a single bumper impacts another, in order to not damage the film's most interesting character, the Mustang GT. A majority of the film is just shots of the local British Columbian setting. Though these shots are gorgeous, they deflate the conflict, rather than amplifying it. Overall, Wrecker is a disappointing and frustrating film watching experience.

This title hit the road on November 6th, 2015 and it hit a large pothole shortly thereafter. Wrecker's story is not fuel injected and characters are mere crash dummies. Rated PG-13, or 14A, the film offers no horrifying moments and just boredom. As the boredom grows, there is no catharsis in the ending as the viewer will simply want the film to end. Even the final moments only offer a CGI impact, with Emily looking ever onwards. The film is more of a rest stop, when a horror film is supposed to be an exciting adventure. Wrecker fails to hit any strong notes and instead, its engine simply seizes on several filmmaking fronts.

Overall: 4 out of 10 (poor storytelling, amoral - unlikeable characters, slow pacing, drawn out scenes, a lack of tone, no atmosphere).

A trailer for the film is available below: A Wrecker Trailer on 28DLA

Recommended release (Road Kill Review): Road Kill at Amazon



Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis 28 Days Later Analysis Email Subscription

Posted in: 2015,horror,horror movie review,movie,movie review,pg-13,road kill,story,synopsis,the road,thriller,thriller movie review