By John Duarte
Is stealing something worth getting in trouble for or worth the price of your life? Would you risk stealing behind your family, your wife, or your kid? Do you think anyone would save you from being locked in a car that was bulletproof, polarized windows, and no way of escaping? That’s what one man has to deal with in the brand new Argentina movie 4X4. Let’s dive into the plot! A van is parked on the sidewalk. A man named Ciro (Peter Lanzani) enters with the purpose of stealing whatever he can find, but when he wants to leave, he can’t. The doors don’t open, the control panel doesn’t respond: the van has become an armored box and he is trapped like a mouse and it’s all being operated remotely by a mysterious person played by Dady Brieva.
Now, When I first heard about the plot of 4X4 I easily thought it’d be a campy, over-the-top B movie but I was completely mistaken. Co-writer and director Mariano Cohn took the concept seriously. If an American director made this, I think they’ll take the B movie route. I mean, I’m not gonna lie...I would’ve. The first 10 mins of the film felt like we were in real-time from the moment the character of Ciro broke into the luxury van to him being locked in and trying to escape. It was a little intense and that’s when I realized this isn’t going to be my typical movie. The way director Mariano Cohn takes us through the entire film was very intriguing and goes by very fast as well for this close to 90 min movie. I enjoyed Peter Lanzani’s performance of Ciro for the fact of his raw portrayal of a man who at first is some random hooligan that you want him to get arrested to a man you kind of want to sympathize with and escape by the time the third act comes.
4X4 is a nicely executed, pretty straightforward film with no crazy twists but it’ll keep you entertained for the 90 min runtime. The performances are well done and the third act was kind of satisfying as well.
4X4 is now available on digital and VOD.