Writer: Jeremy Ungar (Screenplay)
Starring: Bella Thorne, Jessie T Usher, Will Brill
Plot: A cautionary tale aimed at a technology-obsessed society.
Tagline – Some Rides Should Never Be Shared
Runtime: 1 Hour 19 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Slow Thriller
Story: Ride starts as James (Usher) sets out on his night as a driver in LA who works off an app for his fees, as he tries to make it as an actor, this night his first client is a beautiful lady Jessica (Thorne), who invites him out, only for his job to lead him to his next fare, Bruno (Brill) who wants his services for a longer period of time, with the money being hard to refuse.
This night does take a twist, when Bruno shows his true colours, forcing James and Jessica into complete a series of tasks around the town, each one becoming more dangerous.
Thoughts on Ride
Characters – James is an aspiring actor who moonlights as a driver for hire, tonight he picks up to fares, first a woman that asks him out, secondly by a man that wants to hire him for longer to complete task, he must prove how far he would go for the right thing. Jessica is the first fare that asks James to join her for a drink, she gets this wish later in the night only to find herself caught in the middle of the battle between James and Bruno. Bruno seems like an overly friendly fare, only he ends up pushing James to the next level to do thing illegal, showing his unstable side.
Performances – We only have three actors in this film, only none of the three really make the impact they want to, which doesn’t help the audience engage with what is going on.
Story – The story here follows a driver for hire that has a night which sees him pick up two fares, with one taking them on a journey which shows just how unstable he truly is. This story does seem to get caught up in the middle of nowhere because the motivation behind what Bruno is doing seems to random to make sense and only just makes things drag along, we just don’t get sucked into the story in the way you imagine, finding yourself waiting for the point to be made, and it doesn’t happen.
Action – This does use moments of action, which is mostly James and Jessica trying to find a way to escape, though it isn’t the most exciting.
Settings – We use the streets of LA for settings her, which shows us how the party lifestyle could be used to make more happen through the film.
Scene of the Movie – The first drive.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Motivation seems missing.
Final Thoughts –This is a thriller that doesn’t seem to get going the way it wants to and ends up feeling a little empty by the end of the film.
Overall: Plain Thriller.