Mojave (2015)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  4 / 10

  Mojave deserts basic thrills for a pretentious outlook on wealth and happiness. "From the acclaimed writer of The Departed" is not a sentence to be messed with. Considering how smartly written (for the most part...) the aforementioned film was, one would expect a similar experience with this cat-and-mouse chase. But when Monahan decides to direct his screenplay also, well, the results are more uneven than a rocky mountain in the Mojave Desert. A writer/director traverses the desert to "find himself", in which he comes across a drifter who soon assimilates his wealth and fame.
  
  What initially was an existential thriller questioning the concept of duality, rapidly transforms into a vapid pretentious commentary on how wealthy individuals residing in Los Angeles are consistently unhappy with their lavish lives. The poor remain envious of the rich, and the rich hate everything and everyone. What a joyous crime chase this was, brother. Monahan integrates various dialogue exchanges that, at first, come across as intelligent philosophical discussions, but upon reflection never stick. This is down to the woeful writing when developing the characters. There is none, brother!
  
  Hedlund is moping around successfully portraying an unlikeable obnoxious robot-like director, and Isaac outperforms the script he is given to the point it resembles caricature. A fun antagonistic role that he clearly enjoyed performing, and trust me when I say he is one of the only redeeming factors. If only he didn't say "brother" after every other word! Brother. Bro. Bruh. Brudda. The cinematography was clean and there were moments of suspense, particularly the covering up of a certain accident that strives the film's plot, but the tension dissipates almost immediately when Monahan delves into philosophical blah blah blah. A strong dusty start in the titular desert cannot wipe the sand off the ostentatious script that decimates the rest of the film. All that dirt and heat made me feel thirsty though...

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