Dashcam

An editor is running really late for his deadline. He awaits a footage of film involving a traffic stop which ends in a mysterious deadly ending for all involved. Acting is standard. There is a lot of watching this man edit video footage and gets old quick. Ending predictable but not too bad a watch. 5.6-5.9 out of 10.

Our lead guy is an unlikeable nitwit who edits news footage from his bedsit while sighing a lot. He's waiting at his computer for some police dashcam footage to arrive for a tv news report. We sit with him and watch him wait. He takes some video calls from his 'friends' (people he seems to hate) and then we watch him sit quietly while nothing arrives. Sometimes he'll swear out loud for no reason. Sometimes he'll move his mouse slowly across the his computer screen to open Facebook or download a file. This is the entire first act.

After 25 minutes he finally gets the footage and slowly looks through it. Ten minutes later he goes to the bathroom. I mean, it's gripping stuff.

The smattering of other 'characters' appear as faces and/or voices via computer, a tired gimmick which has been employed in several (slightly) better movies. This is yet another five minute story stretched to movie length for reasons unknown. It's punishingly boring. There are true crime videos on youtube that can tell a complete story in 15 minutes. Usually made by one person. I respect those people.

What we got was pretty decent but there were definitely aspects that were too drawn out and others that were very lacking. Also, seems as if you are headed to a destination you never reach. It draws you in, making you pay close attention for that key element, and then lets you down. It lets you down in a way that makes you believe the answer is right around the corner though. This would be great if it was the first film of a series with different perspectives of the "incident" and aftermath, like an anthology, that eventually told us why it occurred to begin with. If you think of it in this manner then it was pretty good. I really want more.

Best film I've seen all year. Very realistic and anxiety inducing. The acting was superb and great cinematography for a film that mostly took place in one location. I highly recommend it!

I had high hopes for 'Dashcam'. The synopsis sounded very intriguing and I like films that take place on a computer screen. This film doesn't entirely take place on one, but a large portion of it does. Ultimately it ended up being a little disappointing unfortunately. It starts off with a really intriguing premise but then it really struggles to grow out from there and never really reaches its full potential for this reason.

The film is very short, but it can feel like it's dragging a lot at certain points. Sometimes we are watching a character edit and manipulate footage and this often goes on way too long. The story was also in real need of a twist of some sort. Something needed to break up the story and make the audience rethink things in some way.

All this said I didn't hate the movie. It knows its limitations and so it doesn't outstay its welcome. I also like the Russell Wilson-looking fellow in the lead role. Finally the dark ending was right up my alley. It's not a total misfire, it just isn't quite what it could've been. 6/10.