4x4: A Solid High Concept Thriller That Takes You For A Wild Ride
From Argentine filmmaker Mariano Cohn comes 4x4, a darkly comedic, high concept thriller that is teeming with energy and pizazz. Despite never really moving an inch, this creative, single-location flick is sure to take audiences for a surprisingly wild ride.
When petty thief Ciro (Peter Lanzani) tries to rob an ordinary-looking car, he finds out that his target is actually a high-tech machine - one that's determined to trap him inside unless he can find a way to escape. To make matters worse, someone on the outside is in control of the car, and they seem to have a plan.
It’s extremely challenging to make a film with a solitary setting totally engaging, let alone visually interesting, but director (and co-writer) Mariano Cohn’s 4x4 manages to succeed in both areas. Although a large chunk of the film takes place in a stationary location with one character, Cohn and co-screenwriter Gastón Duprat (who also produced the film) find inventive ways to stretch their high-concept premise and keep the audience entertained without becoming overly tedious. At no point, did 4x4 ever teeter on the brink of being a slog (to us), and more impressively, it somehow manages to maintain its kinetic, electric charge for its entirety — even though it never moves an inch.
The titular 4x4 (whose model is humorously titled “Predator”) is a sporty all-terrain SUV. From the outside, it appears totally normal and average, but as we soon find out (along with our main character, Ciro, a low class thug and petty thief), there’s nothing even remotely ordinary about the vehicle. Essentially, it’s an expensive, high-tech piece of machinery designed to lure criminals into its trap. Much like a spider’s web, once it’s obtained its prey, the vehicle is also designed to make it incredibly difficult — nearly impossible — for them to escape.
Ciro learns this almost immediately. As soon as he jacks the car’s stereo, he discovers he’s unable to exit. His cries for help and attempts to break free are also all in vain; the car is completely sound-proof to the outside world, complete with incredibly dark tinted windows and made up of impenetrable metal. This leads to some genuinely comedic moments, as the helpless Ciro is forced to watch as people pass, one applying her lipstick using the reflexive exterior of the window, while Ciro pathetically looks out for the car’s interior, totally undetected. Ciro’s desperate attempts to break free also have a comedic edge. One such incident involves him trying to shoot out the window, and, well, that doesn’t go so well…
Ciro isn’t just trapped either; he’s being continuously toyed with by a mysterious and demented doctor who’s in control of the car’s interior features, using things like the AC unit to add to Ciro’s pain. The doctor, Enrique Ferrari (played by Dady Brieva), also reveals that the car is armed with an explosive, which further adds to the film’s stakes. This element helps to pad out the film’s limited premise, while also giving it a sadistic Saw-like quality. We’re not really given much backstory to either of the film’s central figures, but Cohn and Duprat give us some moments that help to flesh out Ciro’s character. Particularly, the incorporation of a cricket earns the petty thief some pathos, as he refuses to kill it out of compassion (and, perhaps, kinship). It’s the cricket that gives Ciro a bit of an amusing and charming character arc that prevents 4x4 from being completely one-note.
The film isn’t just all hollow, surface-level thrills, either. It’s raised up by its social commentary about Argentina’s theft problem and how its society treats and views criminals. Although, there’s nothing subtle about what it has to say, and toward’s the end, it climbs on a soapbox and becomes a bit too preachy, explaining its intent a bit too directly. But overall, it’s never short of entertaining — even if it falls apart a bit towards the end. The whole experience is bolstered by the incredible lead performance from Peter Lanzani, the colorful, sun-soaked cinematography from Kiko de la Rica, and the solid score from Dante Spinetta (“Ruta 666” being the film’s prominent banger); these three aspects along make it well worth your time, if you’re a genre fan.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of claustrophobic films where a character is mostly trapped in one location, or well-made, high-concept thrillers, 4x4 will satisfy your urges.
Rating: 3.5 car break-ins outta 5.
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