Hallow Road (2025)

Hallow Road (2025)

At first, I’d be tempted to say: don’t waste your time, this film is simply boring. You can’t see a thing, and it’s very slow. I reckon there was no budget at all for this film, which has no real ending. And that’s saying something, as I really do enjoy films set in confined spaces…

But the fact is, it’s worth watching once! Provided you don’t mind that the whole thing takes place in a car! Because it’s not like the excellent Collateral (2004), where the protagonists regularly get out of the car, nor like the rather mediocre Night Teeth (2021). It’s a film that’s more like Ride (2018), which isn’t too bad, but above all like Daddio (2023) and Locke (2013), which can really wear down an impatient viewer who needs action throughout the film. Each to their own! The latest entry on my list is Sympathy for the Devil (2024), whose sole appeal lies in the excellent Nicolas Cage.

Hallow Road is a film by Babak Anvari, who directed the horror thriller Under the Shadow (2016). I haven’t seen it, so I can’t comment. It’s a dramatic and mysterious thriller starring Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys.

I don’t think I’ve seen anything really good starring Matthew Rhys. Certainly not In the Name of the King (2007) or Cocaine Bear (2023)! He’s well known to fans of the series House of the Dragon (a Game of Thrones spin-off) – which I’m not a fan of – which tells the story of the Targaryen family, nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The only one I might be tempted to watch is perhaps A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (2019).

As for Rosamund Pike, I absolutely adore this incredible actress who is absolutely fearless. She was brilliant as Marie Curie in Radioactive (2019). She was part of the stellar cast of Fracture (2007) – which I watch regularly – alongside Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling and David Strathairn.

Gone Girl (2014) is by no means my favourite Fincher film, but her talent is palpable and evident throughout. Yes, Rosamund is a great actress. Whether in Doom (2005), The World’s End (2013), Johnny English Reborn (2011), The Devil You Know (2013), A Private War (2018) with her pirate eye, or even Return to Sender (2015), which is one of my favourites. In short, she’s tackled every genre!

Although the idea might seem interesting on paper, in practice it quickly becomes repetitive on the big screen. In this story with a touch of the supernatural, a couple rush to the rescue of their daughter, who has run someone over in the middle of the night. Although the film is only 1 hour 20 minutes long, the journey feels interminable, and I found myself wondering where on earth that bloody sat-nav was taking them and whether they’d got lost in the Blair Witch forest. Using the journey to explore rather uninteresting family issues, the succession of situations is absurd and builds up a false sense of suspense leading to a disappointing resolution. Pretty forgettable overall.

If I were to summarise this in a slightly more professional manner, I’d say that this thriller is gripping thanks to its atmosphere and its stifling, closed-room setting, but the final twist is bound to leave loose ends and invite criticism of the film’s message. Overall, though, it’s an honest film that would have deserved better technical execution.