Taking a page out of Collateral’s books, crime caper Stuber has Dave Bautista being driven around by Kumail Nanjiani for an Uber ride of complete and utter carnage.
Hot on the heels of drug-dealer Tedjo (Iko Uwais), detectives Vic (Bautista) and Sara (Karen Gillan) find their mission going awry when the latter ends up biting the dust at the criminal’s hands. Half a year later, desperately wanting revenge, the hyper-masculine Vic sets out after Tedjo when he is tipped on his whereabouts; the only thing stopping him, he has recently had surgery so can’t see well enough to get behind the wheel of a car. Turning to Uber for help, he finds himself picked up by the meek, sensitive Stu (Nanjiani) – the polar opposite to the built, tough agent – who agrees to chauffeur the beefy Vic’s missions – Stu, wanting a good Uber rating after a string of one-stars tarnish his reputation, obliges to anything to juice up his driver score.
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For those familiar with the work of Michael Mann, they may notice the plot echoes 2004’s Collateral quite a bit – swapping out Tom Cruise for Bautista and Jamie Foxx for Nanjiani – but more comedic… Only not as entertaining either. Stuber feels too shopworn and pedestrian for its own good; despite a fascinating premise that puts ideas of masculinity (even race) under scrutiny, the narrative plays it too safe to truly shine – and to really have a strong thematic presence. That’s not to say the film isn’t entertaining, by any means; there is definitely some fun to be had with Stuber as a pastiche of the 80s buddy-comedy that is ultra-violent, funny and anchored by a solid leading pair. The screenplay just feels like an overtly familiar hodgepodge of ideas that other films have executed better. The whole thing feels too perfunctory and operatic – conventional characters with little depth playing to a formulaic recipe that offers little beyond surface-level enjoyment. Tripper Clancy’s script lacks much bite or originality with little personality and individuality shining through the screenplay as well as Dowse’s direction.
But, as mentioned, it’s not all bad. Bautista and Nanjiani share such the screen well with such great chemistry and presence; their pairing is an odd, unexpected match made in heaven – the comedic timing and styles of each actor complimenting the other. Whilst not breaking new ground with their performances and sticking to what they know best (Bautista as a brute with his awkward, straight-man humour; Nanjiani as the fast-talking, bumbling guy out of his depth), both actors are clearly having a blast and it’s admittedly infectious watching them together. There are some pretty good jokes sprinkled throughout too (although a whole myriad that also doesn’t land) and a barrage of violence to, at least, keep Stuber constantly moving. At around 93 minutes long, Stuber is nothing if not inoffensive. If not for the energy of its cast, Stuber would feel lacking but it’s intermittently entertaining with what it has to offer – albeit if it’s not a whole lot – and there’s definitely some fun to be had.
