Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Awful action-thriller's only plus is over-the-top bad guys.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Collide
What's the Story?
In COLLIDE, Casey (Nicholas Hoult) is an American living in Germany who's working as a collector for a Turkish crime lord named Geran (Ben Kingsley). When Casey meets pretty bartender Juliette (Felicity Jones), he decides to quit and go straight. But when it turns out she needs a new kidney, Casey realizes he must go back to Geran and pull a big job to raise money for the operation. It won't be an easy task: Geran tells Casey he must steal a truck full of cocaine belonging to a crooked businessman, Hagen Kahl (Anthony Hopkins). Unsurprisingly, the job goes badly, and Casey is caught. Worse, Juliette's life is in danger as well. Casey must stay one jump ahead of the bad guys to reach her.
Is It Any Good?
This action thriller is plagued by poor camera work and a screenplay that's riddled with holes and implausibilities; the only worthwhile thing about it is the bad guys' wild scenery chewing. Director Eran Creevy (Welcome to the Punch) takes his camera and lets it lurch and swing and meander aimlessly while choppy editing ramps things up. Scenes set in a nightclub and the endless, constant car chases are enough induce nausea. The camera likewise can't sit still on the characters, perhaps because their exchanges are boring and flat.
Then, as the chase unfolds, logical questions start to crop up and become increasingly unanswerable. How are the bad guys always able to catch up to the good guy? Why does he choose to use the "card up his sleeve" so late in the game? By the climax of Collide, nothing makes any sense. Only the high-caliber acting of Kingsley, with wild glasses and accent, and Hopkins, smooth and deadly in a powder-blue suit, makes Collide even worth mentioning. Otherwise, it's forgettable.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Collide's violence. Does the fact that it's largely bloodless and without deaths mean it has less impact?
How are drinking and drugs portrayed in the movie? Are there any consequences for using them? Why is that important?
Is it justified for Casey to steal all those cars and all that money and wreck all that property if he's doing it for a good reason? Do the ends ever justify the means?
How are female characters portrayed in the movie? Are they objectified?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 24, 2017
- On DVD or streaming : May 30, 2017
- Cast : Felicity Jones , Nicholas Hoult , Anthony Hopkins
- Director : Eran Creevy
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Open Road Films
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence, frenetic action, some sexuality, language, and drug material
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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