The Accidental Getaway Driver

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

"The Accidental Getaway Driver" is a story about during a routine pickup, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts. For a first feature, Sing J. Lee does a pretty good job on directing the narrative as his direction and realistic approach on California helps to make the film interesting and engaging. The story is pretty simple and a little predictable if you have seen films similar to this but it still worked well because of Lee's direction and the chemistry between the cast members.

The performances were pretty good especially Hiep Tran Nghia and Dustin Nguyen as their dialogue and chemistry between with each other felt realistic and interesting to observe. There are some long take shots that were well-directed, the camerawork was beautiful, and the dialogue was pretty interesting to listen.

The film does have its problem as sometimes the pacing drags as if the film has lost its footing. Secondly, some of the writing elements were really predictable and unrealistic the more you think about it. Despite good dialogue, there were some dialogue moments from the supporting cast members that felt out of place as if the words were written by some robot.

Overall, it's a decent film with some great moments that were a little emotional. I do look forward what Lee has next to offer.

Rating: B-