IDLE SPEED | Omeleto

Опубликовано: 05 Октябрь 2024
на канале: Omeleto

10,140

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Two friends survive a shootout.

IDLE SPEED is used with permission from Yoni Azulay. Learn more at https://yoniazulay.com.

Duncan is a young and indecisive recent graduate, on a road trip to New Mexico with his more confident friend, Ray. In the car, Duncan details his romantic struggles with a woman named Monica, with Ray advising him to be brave and tell her how he feels.

Just as they hit the open horizon, they find themselves in the tail-end of a drug deal gone bad, complete with a burning car in the middle of the road. Before they can high-tail it out of there, they get caught in the cross-hairs of a mysterious sniper. Pinned to their car and unable to escape, Ray is shot -- and now it's up to Duncan to save their lives.

Directed and written by Yoni Azulay, this short thriller-drama is a high-octane action narrative complete with guns, explosions and the adrenaline of trying to survive peril and danger. Like most films in the genre, its strong craftsmanship and dynamic storytelling generate considerable suspense and tension, keeping viewers pulled in and engaged. But the action is layered over a character portrait of a young man working up the courage to make his intentions known to a female friend, with both strands of Duncan's arc dovetailing into a story of emotional growth through adversity.

The film opens with some wide-open landscape shots, visually harkening to Western movies as a lone car makes its way down a highway. Duncan and Ray talk about Monica in the car, but their conversation is interrupted when they almost collide with a car accident. Ray investigates the car and discovers a dead man and a suitcase full of money, which now makes him a target for a shooter hiding in the nearby hills. The film shifts into its suspenseful, tense register as it switches seamlessly between the perspectives of the young men and the shooter, conveying the high stakes and a dilemma that will stretch Duncan's limits if they want to live.

The action genre can be stereotypically macho, but Duncan's emotional dilemma here is given respect and space to develop, even in this short format, interspersing scenes of him and his romantic interest that are shot with attention to the feelings bubbling underneath the interactions. Actors Leary McDonald and Nathan Vincenti as Duncan and Ray, respectively, offer multi-dimensional performances, with a good rapport as friends and demonstrating affection and emotional honesty with one another. Duncan especially is not a typical action hero, and in most action films, he might typically play a more secondary role. And yet, here, he must find a way to save the day or else lose their lives.

Deftly crafted, entertaining and consistently compelling, IDLE SPEED is a lot of fun, but it also yokes the action to Duncan's emotional growth as he finds it in himself to summon his courage and face the situation squarely. He finds a way to save his and Ray's lives, and he does it in a way that's true to him and without requiring him to give up what makes him easy to root for, both in the shootout and with his love interest. He and his best friend limp off into the sunset, a little worse for wear, but a bit more weathered for other challenges in the future.