DVD Review: FUGITIVES Offers Full-Tilt Boogie Thrills In Isolation

Fugitives is an exciting edge of your seat thriller with a few fun twists and turns thrown in for good measure. Director Shane Dax Taylor spends an impressive about of time letting the set-up breathe before it offering  some serious full-tilt boogie thrills for the cat and mouse last act.

Luke Mably and Tricia Helfer play a couple who travel to the Bahamas in a last-ditch effort to save their marriage. However, there’s trouble in paradise when they meet a pair of mysterious couples played by Stephen Lang, Claudia Church, Dominic Purcell and Marie Avgeropoulos.

Fugitives might not be wholly original, but there’s much to enjoy in this thriller, with good performances from all involved and some pretty impressive character development for this type of film. Avatar favourite Stephen Lang and Prison Break star Dominic Purcell offer particularly good value, with Lang having plenty of fun as an on-the-run convict living the dream in a tropical paradise.

I really liked the simplicity of Fugitives – it keeps the story contained but we get plenty of time with our leads before their tropical holiday takes a nasty turn. Taylor plays these early scenes like a drama, slowly unveiling the thriller elements as the story progresses. It’s nice to see this – often filmmakers are tempted to (literally) cut to the chase, but keeping tension up for that long is nearly impossible unless you’re a cinematic master of thrills. Having characters you can empathise with goes a long way and Taylor seems to know this. Admittedly, it’s far from flawless and the antagonist’s motivations might not be plausible but this is a pretty fun ride if you leave your brain at the door.

Fugitives might not be packed with well-known names, but it packs an entertaining punch. It’s a fun little movie that has well-tuned performances and some intriguing twists to keep you hooked. One thing’s for sure – you’ll think twice before booking that all-inclusive holiday in the sun this summer!