Vehicle 19 is a crime thriller about an American tourist caught in a web of Johannesburg police corruption, starring The Fast and The Furious’s Paul Walker. It’s an ambitious film that tries to leverage its star, city and concept to great effect. Unfortunately, the end result is vapid, messy and ultimately unsatisfying.

Johannesburg is one of the crime capitals of the world. The cross-section of life and cultural diversity make this city a living and breathing urban artwork. Businessmen, beggars… the city is a hub for the everyman and a dangerous jungle for the uninitiated. As a setting, it bristles with frenetic energy and makes a sprawling backdrop of hard-living for a crime thriller like Vehicle 19.

The title and setting echo Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, butVehicle 19 is a low budget crime thriller set in the here and now, and the only alien is an American who gets into the wrong rental car.

The film-makers have tried to mimic films like Brake and Buried, thrillers that locked their lead actors in a claustrophobic space and leaned on their acting talents. In Brake, Stephen Dorff plays a Jack Bauer style character trying to escape the clutches of his captors and foil a terrorist plot. In Buried, Ryan Reynolds plays an American who has been buried alive. Instead of temporary imprisonment, Vehicle 19 has “locked” Paul Walker into a rental vehicle.

As a concept, there’s less pressure on Paul Walker’s performance as Michael Woods. We witness a diverse Joburg backdrop as urban scenes flash past the car windows. Fresh faces enter the fray as he bounces off various subplots. However, the concept draws too much attention to itself as the fish-out-of-water protagonist is invisibly tethered to his rental car. There’s no underlying claustrophobia or ticking time bomb to create tension and simply being a foreigner in Jozi traffic doesn’t up the stakes.

“Gimme fuel, gimme fire…”

Without palpable tension, special effects or vivid storytelling, Vehicle 19 leans too heavily on a central performance, a cityscape and an ambitious concept. While Paul Walker’s good looks, earnest demeanor and valiant acting keep us rooting for his Fast and Furious persona, his character lacks traction, making him seem vapid and expendable. We’re just not invested enough in his plight to win back his anonymous girl.

There are some great ideas, but a lot of moments seem implausible to laughable as Woods seems intent on burying his head deeper-and-deeper into a dangerous situation. An uncertain supporting performance from Naima McLean serves as a gimmick to tie Woods into his quest, but it’s already too late as our interest starts to wane.

You can admire Mukunda Michael Dewil for taking a shot at such an ambitious concept thriller on a low budget. The ingredients are all there, but this picture is fueled on a high profile star, a good idea, loads of passion and not enough presence of thought. As such, it doesn’t jel, lacks the depth, thrills and entertainment value we would have expected.

The bottom line: Underwhelming

Release date: 8 August, 2013
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