[6.25/10] Transit (2012)

Transit (2012)

Brief review: The After Dark Studios finally bring us something worth-watching. Pretty forgettable and at times absurd, but still worth-watching. "Transit" is taut and tense even from the very beginning, but as soon as the action kicks in, it becomes an edge-of-your-seat strained, leaving the viewer no time for a break. The script has some major flaws, and the characters, both the good and the bad, act illogically most of the time, but hey, we can't all be super-smart, can we? Jim Caviezel is the only well-known actor here, and he does a solid jobs as the protectful father with troubled past. Elisabeth Röhm is quite convincing as the mother, James Frain is downright intimidating as the leader of the gang, and the rest of the cast deliver passable performances. The strength of this fine thriller lies in its spot-on execution. Antonio Negret's direction is surprisingly skillful and diverse, the editing is edgy, and the whole pacing of the film is so briskly energetic it keeps you glued to the screen throughout, from start to finish. In terms of visuals, "Transit" is pretty adequate to say the least. The filters used by the cinematographer save the film from looking cheap, giving a slight slickness to the visuals, plus, some of the locations are absolutely beautiful, especially the marsh in the second half. The movie also has some really great sound effects and a pretty intense music score, that makes it much more exciting.

Overall summary: Aside from the characters' utter stupidity and an unnecessarily over-the-top final act, "Transit" is a tense, fast-paced and well-shot road movie, that entertains with a simple, yet twisty cat'n'mouse plot, exciting car chases, and many, many thrills along the way.