Netflix's Kinetic, IR-rated Car Chase Thriller will drive you to the finish line
Written by Robert Scucci | Published
When it comes to movies, there are two things I love more than anything else: fun and short runtimes. While I was scrolling through Netflix for a quick late night watch, I landed on 2017 The Wheelmanchecking both of those boxes. Some movies don't just have much of a story, but rather give you a glimpse into a day in the life of their characters.
In Wheelman's case, it's about a getaway driver who finds himself in a sticky situation going after a bank robbery he helps to help, it's almost as if he's being set up as a fall guy or a diversion for the biggest crime to come. This doesn't have to be a long, involved story, so it isn't. The entire film takes place almost entirely inside a car, with our protagonist trying to figure out in real time what's going on through a flurry of phone calls, many of which go straight to voicemail.
There is no world building or deep dialogue The Wheelman. It's just the guy in the car who knows he's in trouble, and, worse, knows he doesn't have much, or time, to get out of it. Sometimes, that's all a movie needs to be, and whenever that's the case, I'm always here to make it for you.
Overall Structure in 4 Sentences
Frank Grillo is a for-hire driver known only as the Wheelman, and he is ordered by his boss to take down the bank robbers he is supposed to help escape after loading money into his boot. Thinking that Clay (Garret Dillahunt), the partner who planned the heist, had something to do with the set-up, Wheelman tries to reach him by cell phone but can't get hold of him, all the while receiving alarming texts from an unknown sender. Wheelman is worried about the safety of his 13-year-old daughter, Katie (Caitlin Carmichael), and, to a lesser extent, his ex-wife Jessica (Wendy Moniz), because they are mentioned by name and he doesn't know who he is dealing with. As the night progresses, Wheelman learns that Clay is involved with competing crime families, putting him in the kind of situation that doesn't come with a clear exit strategy.
As I said, The Wheelman it's a non-stop thriller, mostly involving a guy on the phone trying to figure out his next move. In this case, there are shootings, dangerous people, and there is no obvious solution to our character's problems. As the film moves into its second and third acts, the stakes continue to rise as we learn more about who's involved, what they want from Wheelman, and how his family puts it all in when he doesn't do everything they say.
The film's tagline is simply, “Drive Fast. Think Fast,” and there's no better way to sum it up. As an ardent advocate of short runtimes and small budgets, I'm here to dispel a very important myth: short runtimes aren't necessarily less destructive. The Wheelman it's one of those “blink and you'll miss it” movies where one second counts. Each signal, secret message, voice behind the call, and every 286 F bomb carries weight and continues to add to the tension. For $5 million, you can't really beat a movie like this because it's an uphill battle, but it's still paced in a way that keeps everything grounded in reality.
The Perfect “Guy In A Car” Double Feature
While The Wheelman earns its keep as a neo-noir action thriller, sharing the same setup as 2013 The lock starring Tom Hardy. In that film, which was remade for about $2 million and clocks in at just 85 minutes, Hardy plays a construction foreman who shuts down a job the night before the biggest concrete pour of his career because his wife is about to give birth. The whole movie is about him driving, calling his colleagues and city officials, and making phone calls home as he tells his wife and sons.
As boring as it is The lock it sounds like on paper, it's an engaging watch because it's about someone trying to do the right thing after making a big mistake. Her life as she knows it is over, and she understands that, but she remains poised as she flies down the highway, determined to be there for her baby's birth for reasons that don't make complete sense at first, but become clearer as her night drive continues.
Both films are cut from the same cloth, but operate at completely different frequencies. Both are also streaming on Netflix, so my recommendation is to check them out the next time you want something a little different. Look The lock with the weight of emotion, and turn over it The Wheelman for the thrill of running away with a trunk full of cash while your family waits on the sidelines, hoping to get to them before the unknown assailant arrives.
