Shuttle (2008) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

U.S. 2007
Director: Edward Anderson
Cast: Peyton List, Cullen Douglas, Tony Curran, Cameron Goodman, Dave Power, James Snyder
Rating: R
Release Date: March 6th 2009
Running Time: 1 hour 46 mins 39 secs

The Movie Review

Shuttle film still 1


SHUTTLE
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

You don't ride with strangers! You don't pick up strangers! These seemingly old and rusty grandma's sayings are something that people should really listen to. And somehow this time of decade, the threat is just getting real. Ok ok I may seem a bit paranoid but those who live in the big city must've realized that some parts of those advice are true. Movie world have witnessed what happened when people don't pay attention to those advice. And this time I'm gonna introduce you to one of those movies that manage to enliven the threat and the fear of the dark side of urban life. Shuttle...

Melanie (Peyton List) and Jules (Cameron Goodman) are arriving on the airport late at night and having trouble catching a ride home with all the heavy rain and Mel's unhealthy condition. An airport shuttle bus driver is luckily still in operation and ready to take the girls home along with their new male friends, Matt (Dave Power) and Seth (James Snyder) with another office-worker-like passenger who's already in the bus before them, Andy (Cullen Douglas). This seemingly ordinary night turns out far from being safe when the driver (Tony Curran) shows that he has other wicked intention towards their passenger. What does he really want? Money or what?

One of the best way to evoke the feeling of fear of the audience is to present the terror by first making the story as real-life believably as it can be, by depicting the real life situation that everybody might endure. And Shuttle is clever for doing so. The incident that leads the terror to happen is not something extraordinary such as tourist who stick their nose too far or sexual-craze teenagers roaming the woods. In shuttle, Melanie and Jules are just having the bad bad luck. Besides, if you have experienced how it feels like to go home very late at night and your house is in some fairly-secluded area in the city, you know that being alone in the street with only street lights as your company could be kinda creepy. Back in my school days I've been in that position and man the street feels longer than in the daylight. And if someone offers you a ride, some of us might torn between the option of going with a stranger or walking down the lonely lane.

Unfortunately Shuttle's storyline gradually becomes rather stupid and illogical. Shuttle was Edward Anderson's directorial debut and also his second work as a writer. I guess I should really cut him some slack since this was only his second work, but considering that his first work is Demi Moore's movie Flawless (2007), I'm a bit disappointed in Shuttle. Probably because it's his debut as a director, but still... overall the storyline is getting pointless by the mark 1 hour. everything should have ended on that mark, still the story keeps on going pointlessly, what will happen afterwards are seem forced just to fill in the intended running length, even though the finale is saved by the twist (that seemingly inserted as an effort to shock the audience). Besides, several scenes are arguably borrowed from the Australian Wolf Creek (2005) so it should've added something good to the overall story. The deal is here, the premise is excellent, and the several early scenes are intense, but once everything should've ended, it doesn't. And the pace is quite a drag. This flaw has to be shared with the editing, and the mediocre acting. Some scenes show us that Cameron Goodman is inconsistent in her facial expression since she looks not totally enliven her kidnapped character, different with Peyton List who seems to embrace the character's condition.

Shuttle is a thriller movie about crime towards women and violence towards men. Most of the violent and bloody scenes involving men are on-screen while the ones that involving the women are off-screen. Shuttle is a film that try to evoke the feeling of fear without relying too much on the exploitation elements. No nudity by the way (well not directly, there's a picture in Shuttle that might shock you rather than amuse you) and the blood is dry though very shocking (the scene in front of the 24-hour supermarket and the one by the street could make average moviegoers cringe). But overall it's about crime towards women, and for this premise, there are 2 great twists in Shuttle that save the already cliche-almost-boring storyline. And for this twist, I have to give credit to Cullen Douglas, the greatest acting comes from him and Peyton.

If you could caught this movie on DVD, I think it's worth a rent for newbie thriller-seekers, but I don't recommend this once it hits cinemas near you. The musical score is uninspiring and with the slow pace, it should've made as a Direct-to-video instead. But if you care about your loved ones (women/girls particualrly), be a dear and rent this DVD for them. Although most of the characters on this movie are fairly dumb but the story is also fairly believable.