Getaway - D

Rated PG-13, 94 minutes

Threadbare, junky "Getaway" provides a few thrills but little else

Selena Gomez and Ethan Hawke

The conventional new action chase drama "Getaway" only makes me long for legendary Steve McQueen in such films as "Bullitt" and "The Getaway" (thankfully this is not a remake of that film). He emanated a coolness that this lackluster, unoriginal film needs, though the car featured in the film, the Cobra Super Snake, is pretty cool. Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke) is a burned out race car driver who is thrust into a do-or-die mission behind the wheel when his wife is kidnapped. With Brent's only ally being a young hacker (Selena Gomez), his one hope of saving his wife is to follow the orders of the mysterious voice (Jon Voight) who's watching his every move through cameras mounted on the car Brent's driving. "Getaway" is a piece of junk that revolves around one extended, tiresome and unending car chase through the streets of Sofia, Bulgaria. Admittedly, while some of the chases are serviceable and energetic, there's little else that "Getaway" has to offer in terms of characters, plotting or acting, even with award-winning actors such as Ethan Hawke and Jon Voight, who is essentially only heard and not seen. Gomez is a bit a trifle, relying on charm and personality to get her though scenes with Hawke; she's not much of an actress but she's not altogether terrible either. Directed by Courtney Solomon ("Bullet to the Head"), his biggest mistake is probably hiding such a great actor such as Voight, who often makes for a terrific but exceedingly hammy, villain. It's not a good sign when the best actor in the movie is the car. That would be the many slick Cobra Super Snake Shelby Mustangs, which are seemingly indestructible and more memorable to watch than any of the actors and their third-rate dialogue. Unlike the cars, "Getaway" is a piece of junk you likely won't remember tomorrow.

Wes's Grade: D