So-called existential westerns are making something of a comeback in recent years, with many of them taking place in the Australian outback. Guy Pearce already appeared in one such drama: 2005’s The Proposition. Now, he’s starring in The Rover, a Cannes-selected film from David Michod, the director of Animal Kingdom. Today, in preparation for the film’s premiere, the first trailer has landed online.
Following the collapse of the western economic system, Australia has become a land of criminals and desperate men, drawn to its mineral resources. Pearce plays loner Eric, a traveler in the Australian outback who loses his car to a gang of criminals. Left behind by the gang is the wounded Rey (Robert Pattinson), whom Eric forces to help him track the gang across desolate land.
Based on this first trailer, The Rover is something like The Proposition meets Mad Max by way of The Road. Pearce’s career has taken a turn for the scraggly and villainous, as he turns in more and more character performances in films like Lawless and even Iron Man 3. He’s an interesting screen presence, though, and seems quite at home in his latest part. The same could be said for Robert Pattinson, whose appearance and role is a far cry from the sparkly vampire of Twilight. Together, they could be a very interesting duo. The trailer, at least, makes the whole set up most intriguing.
The Rover will have its premiere at Cannes as part of their Midnight Screenings, which seems to indicate that it’s going to be a dark and dismal film. I don’t think we expect anything less from the director of Animal Kingdom, though.
You can watch the trailer for The Rover below. Following its premiere at Cannes, the film will go into limited release on June 13 and then expand nationwide.
