‘Bring Him To Me’ Review – Luke Sparke’s Action Thriller With A Lot Of Heart

Luke Sparke’s action-thriller Bring Him to Me stars Barry Pepper and Jamie Costa as the Driver and the Passenger, both members of a crime crew that recently took part in a robbery a week prior on their way to an out-of-the-way locale to pick up their cut of the stolen cash. As they get closer to their destination, it becomes clear that the Driver might be taking his Passenger straight to his demise. The movie opens at the beginning of the robbery, featuring a delightful turn from veteran actor Sam Neill as the shop owner being taken advantage of. For the remainder of the narrative’s first half, we jump between the present day and the day of the robbery as more of that day’s details bleed into the current situation our characters find themselves in. As the mystery of the robbery and what has been discovered since then unfold, our Driver faces moral decisions about bringing the Passenger to their crime overlords.

Much like Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 picture Drive, this film is centered on a careful, effective getaway driver who slowly begins to open up throughout the film. While Bring Him to Me lacks some of the style and visuals of Drive, it’s filled with a similar heart that makes it stand out compared to countless other carbon copies of stories like this. Most of Pepper and Costa’s screen time is spent in the car together as the youthful Passenger tries to break through the Driver’s rough exterior. The longer the drive goes on, the more Pepper’s Driver lets down his walls and proves himself to be more than just a brute cog in the crime machine. He begins to show care for his Passenger, which makes the drive full of tension as they get closer to their destination. This tension continues to bubble up until the end of the film, and it causes the characters a lot of strife at various points. From a rough visit to a rural gas station to a nerve-wracking traffic stop with the local law enforcement, the Driver and Passenger of our story just can’t catch a break on their journey. 

While the script provides plenty of tense moments, the following action doesn’t quite pay off. The car chases bring about some of the purest action, but they end up being pretty straightforward. The film emphasizes the relationships between the characters and the mystery around the robbery over any action that may ensue. Similarly, the camera moves in ways that you’d expect, and the cinematography offers little to be excited about. The high point of the camera work is found in the flashbacks to the robbery, with movements that match the feverish tone. Frederik Wiedmann’s music also does a lot of wonderful work throughout the film to establish the mood at different points. There’s nothing bad about any of the technical pieces of the filmmaking, but none of them stand out as spectacular or noteworthy. 

Bring Him to Me winds up being a more than solid action thriller with more heart than one might expect. The thrills are there, but just a few things are missing that would elevate this film to another level. The highlights include worthy outings from Barry Pepper, Sam Neill, and Jamie Costa, as well as a compelling overall story written by director Luke Sparke. Not all the parts of the movie are indeed successful, but with the relationship building between the Driver and Passenger as the focal point of the narrative, there is more than enough to make it stand out against similar thrillers cut from the same cloth.

Bring Him To Me is currently available in select theaters and on VOD courtesy of Roadside Attractions. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2phlliT-AM]