Lee Pace

  • Driven (2018)

    Driven (2018)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, May 2020) Considering the outrageous nature of John DeLorean’s story in founding DMC at the beginning of the 1980s, it’s a wonder that a film about his life hasn’t been made earlier. But maybe some distance helped, as suggested by the darkly funny tone taken by Driven as it fictionalizes the incredible crime story that transformed DeLorean from a car maven entrepreneur to a convicted felon. Wisely, the film doesn’t focus on the grander-than-life DeLorean as much as one of the supporting characters in his story—the man who would eventually become an informant for the FBI and expose DeLorean’s drug deals to finance his company. It’s all very entertaining, but take everything with a grain of salt, of course—Driven isn’t interested in factual accuracy as much as its breezy, very seventies atmosphere and comic approach. A bunch of likable actors help make the film even better—Lee Pace as the very tall, white-haired DeLorean, Jason Sudeikis in the lead role, and notables such as Judy Greer and Corey Stoll in supporting turns. Despite the comic intent, the film does demonstrate the reasons why DeLorean turned to drug dealing for last-resort cash, and even finds some empathy for the doomed character stuck in ambitious schemes that could not come to a happy conclusion. While very watchable, Driven does come with a few warnings—there’s an undercurrent of sadness behind it all, the film isn’t too sure of how far it should push the comic tone, and it’s very distant from the true story of what happened. [July 2020: If you’re interested in the facts, take a look at the documentary Framing John DeLorean, which is even better than the fiction.]

  • Revolt (2017)

    Revolt (2017)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, February 2019) Despite knowing better, I’m game to try just about any Science Fiction movie on Cable TV listings, which is how I ended up watching Revolt. In terms of concept, it comes to the whole alien invasion subgenre about seven years too late, what with its protagonists fighting against alien invaders entrenched on Earth. What saves the film from ennui is, at least initially, its setting: Taking place in Kenya, the film certainly looks different from most other entries in the subgenre. (I wonder how much of this had to do with shooting location incentives, constraints and lower costs?) The other surprise her is seeing Lee Pace as the lead, a soldier with amnesia trying to piece together what happened and what makes him special in resisting some alien attacks. The special effects are decent, which is increasingly the case even on cable TV originals. Alas, much of the story feels recycled, from overall plot structure to the way characters are introduced and then disposed in fairly short order. Bérénice Marlohe looks nice as the female lead, but the film becomes steadily more conventional as it goes on—by the time the last act takes place at night in an urban setting, we’re back to pretty much where nearly every other similar-themed film has landed as well. Despite going for the whole “triumph of the human spirit, even a small victory can create an avalanche” kind of thing, it doesn’t offer much in terms of victory. Still, while Revolt does rise to the level of a watchable film, it can’t quite meet the next level of a memorable one—you’re liable to forget almost all about it moments after watching the end credits.