Hit and Run
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In one of those eerie coincidences that only the world of the movies can provide, Dax Shepard, who wrote and co-directed Hit and Run, seems to have been particularly inspired by the late Tony Scott’s True Romance — and his film is being released the weekend after Scott tragically ended his life.
Shepard and David Palmer’s film actually stars Shepard (playing the wonderfully named Charlie Bronson), who, along with the slightly more recognizable Kristen Bell, embarks upon a road trip that might just result in the opportunity of a lifetime. Naturally, events aren’t going to pan out entirely smoothly for the couple, who must confront a bunch of misfits, a federal marshal (Tom Arnold) and Bradley Cooper playing a pal from the past. Hilarity will surely ensue.
Or will it? Because when you read that, in the words of Hollywood & Fine, “It’s like a car doing doughnuts, driving in circles while going nowhere fast,” you begin to fear for the worst. Variety redresses the balance, noting that “real-life couple Shepard and Bell bring genuine chemistry to this high-energy excursion. Charlie may be the one behind the wheel, but Annie’s refreshingly intelligent and assertive personality elevates her beyond mere love interest, offsetting the script’s sophomoric tendencies with her erudite badinage.” And by the time you’re through with the Hollywood Reporter‘s rave – “Its high-octane but low-stakes action might be just the thing for moviegoers weary of summer’s operatic superheroes” – it’s possible that fans of Tony Scott might not have a better weekend to pay their cinematic respects by checking out a movie he might have been keen to see — or indeed to have made himself.
MORE: Tony Scott: Hollywood Top Gun, Yes. Unstoppable, Alas, No.