The other BMW films have been pretty entertaining for the most part, but the two things that have kept me watching have been the cars (of course) and Clive Owen as the perfectly cast driver who's cool under pressure. The director this time, unfortunately, tries to be too clever for the material and the result ends up failing utterly. To be clear, I enjoyed the (albeit borrowed) concept, but the delivery is horrible. A new BMW Z4 versus an all American muscle car down the Las Vegas strip at dawn? That would be very hard to mess up, and yet Tony Scott does just that. The result is a frenetically edited mess that's trying WAY too hard to be cool and hip when it needs to just rely on the cast and setup. Sure, it has its moments. The devil's ultimate defeat is a breathtaking stunt, and the cameo by a more contemporary pop star at the end is hilarious. Perhaps the next director chosen will have a more self-assured hand.
Review of Beat the Devil
