'Collide' 2022 - Movie Review

Collide is directed by Mukunda Michael Dewil, and stars Ryan Phillippe, Kat Graham and Drea de Matteo.

A dramatically intense movie that reminds us a lot of the masterpiece Magnolia, and another movie titled Boiling Point, which we saw recently.

Referential to both movies, it navigates in a frantic and irregular way, hence heightening the intensity of the film.

Premise

Six characters hiding lies and living intertwined lives Will find themselves involved in a complicated plot of deceit and action.

Review

Collide is very intense, and different (although, it is somewhat similar in its narrative form to another movie, which is even more distinct) with an ensemble of diverse characters, and extreme situations that are ultimately resolved in a fitting way, it gives a feeling, or impression rather, of intended unbalance. It wanders between genres, to and fro, creating a drama-thriller hybrid.

The tempo is hectic, and at times very forceful, constantly seeking to build and maintain a dramatic tension, while trying to reach a climax in each sequence. Being a very condensed screenplay, it might have benefited from having been granted a longer duration. But then again, this might have been purposeful, in order to maximize that intensity of this story – an intensity equivalent to that which the characters must be feeling.

The camerawork, notably the handheld camera effect, is at times as frantic as the stress the characters are under in the corresponding scenes. While at others, the camera adapts well to the more dramatic scenes, with prolonged close-ups. The cinematography, the lighting and photography, is well worked creating the ambience of intimacy that engages us with the characters’ stories, and elevates the intensity even more.

As for the performances, they are all outstanding. We especially like that of Jim Gaffigan, who manages to bring the character of Peter to life with excruciating authenticity.

Is the story believable? The answer to that question is a rotund no. The story as a whole is highly unlikely, however the individual stories are indeed more convincing. However disjointed the narrative structure seems, jumping from one element to another might appear dizzying, but it ultimately comes around.

It scores high in suspense, and with the constant tension, and the concentration of stories in the narrative it appears that the director, Mukunda Michael Dewil, has a lot he wants to express, and has taken a chance with this movie.

With all this said, this movie is one to take into account and to evaluate because it is impactful, and wants to implement new rules in filmmaking, which we acknowledge is an aspiration that we find refreshing.

All movies are similar in some way or other, but we cannot ignore the obvious similarities Collide carries to the two other movies. This might in fact be the biggest weakness in this piece, as it invites the viewer to draw comparisons to other movies that are as notable as they are. That is a brave, and bold move.

Our opinion

It is worthy of recognition, albeit it does not classify as an outstanding movie. It is a movie that in a way gets lost in a “metacinmatographic“ universe, rather than using its own voice. Or perhaps, it does have a voice, which comes across as an impactful yell.