Rover places its focus on Australia's Outback 10 years after the global economic collapse. And this is where you meet a hardened Eric (Guy Pearce), who is simply trying to have a moment to himself when his day is interrupted by three men who are on the run. These men are arguing over the events that just took place (an apparent robbery) and the fact that one of their brothers was left behind. It's in the middle of this argument that they wreck their truck and decide to steal Eric's car. Eric notices this and immediately takes their truck to chase after them. He has no weapon of any kind but it appears that nothing will stop him from getting his car back, not even the fact that the three men confront him with their guns. As he rushes them, he is knocked out and left on the side of the road. He wakes up some time later and continues his chase after them. It is on his chase that he runs into the wounded brother that was left behind in Rey(Robert Pattinson). Realizing that Rey is his only chance to get his car back, Eric takes him to a local doctor to have his wounds healed and effectively save his life. And it is on their dangerous journey to the group's rendezvous point that Rey and Eric form an odd bond.
Now I know that on the surface this sounds like the foreign version of Dude, Where's My Car, but thankfully there's a lot more to it than that! As the movie progresses you start to get the sense that there is something about the car that's special to him, and not just the fact that he simply has a functioning one in this barren land that's full of desperate and hustling miscreants. Eric doesn't talk much and he has kind of a quick temper; you see this on full display when he is negotiating the purchase of a gun with a local and it ends in a rather bloody manner. Rey on the other hand is quite the simpleton, one who isn't really equipped to handle the line of work his brother has chosen for him. And as you get to know him, you can't help but fall in love with him because you realize that he is just the scared little brother who is looking for guidance in this dark world he's come to know.
Now I know that it's hard to believe that you can actually root for the teenage crush from Twilight who twinkles like diamonds in the daylight, but Michod gives him the opportunity to act in this movie. And I hate to admit it but he really delivers. Midway through the movie you barely notice that it's Pattinson on screen, and eventually all you see is the cool little brother that you want on your side. Also, Pearce speaking with his native accent, absolutely destroys the role of Eric. Like I said, he doesn't talk much, so most of what you learn about his character comes from his reactions to his surroundings and from his facial expressions. And honestly this is the same method that Michod uses to set the tone of the film with. He doesn't have an extended monologue from one of the characters nor does he have elaborate shots of the terrain. You can derive so much about the state of the world simply by observing the characters reactions to one another and by their general acceptance of the weird occurrences that happen on a daily basis.
And there were quite a few unexpected twists that I didn't see coming, which is rare for someone that has seen as many movies as I have. By the time you finally learn the fact that Eric's haunted past seems to be catching up with him, you are left both wounded and heartbroken. And the final few silent shots of him pretty much sums up the entire movie. If Pearce was ever cast in real roles in the US, he without a doubt would win multiple awards. I rate this movie as very FRESH!
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