This is such an intensely well-crafted and heart-rending story about how four young people became entwined in a carjacking. This story is told in a non-linear fashion, using flashbacks of the day to fill out the characters, which helps the audience become attached to each character, even the film's antagonist, Kevin. The performances in this film by the four leads are especially note- worthy. Brittany Snow and Evan Ross are truly fantastic, and the film is worth the price of admission for them alone. Although Christian Serratos didn't have much to 'do' (for obvious reasons) she handled a difficult performance very well. I think it may be easy to overlook the performance of J.Michael Trautmann (Jonathan Michael Trautmann) because his character is so abhorrent and hard to watch, but his take on the wayward youth Kevin is quite impressive. Even though he is the cause of the trouble, he remains empathetic. A command performance by someone so young acting alongside more established talent. Although he's in a supporting role, it needs to be said that David Oyelowo's performance is equally riveting to that of Brittany Snow's or Evan Ross'. J.Michael as Kevin may bring the terror, but David as Duane brings the humanity.
Review of 96 Minutes
