Socio-political allegories disguised as one-location thrillers tend to live or die based on not just execution, but also the headlining actor's capabilities as an emotional anchor. Vehicle 19 has an advantage in the former area, as it's based in a set that actually moves; as opposed to, sedentary backgrounds in films like Phone Booth and Buried. That lents itself to more options for images and scenarios that offer a subtle commentary on the proceedings (a practice Alfred Hitchcock pioneered).

The problem is Dewil doesn't have a star like Colin Farrell or Ryan Reynolds - who are capable actors, when given the right role - to carry the Vehicle 19 proceedings on their shoulders. Indeed, Walker does best when he's the foil to someone with more (actual?) screen personality, as in Fast and the Furious (and even Takers, to a lesser degree). In the trailers, his flat delivery of what are admittedly cliché lines doesn't exactly inspire confidence in that area.

Check out the Vehicle 19 poster (via Collider) below:

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VEHICLE 19 Poster

Vehicle 19 does boast a more intriguing subtext and refined filmmaking craft that last year's direct-to-DVD entry in the single-location thriller-as-metaphor category Brake (a.k.a. Die Hard in a car trunk starring Stephen Dorff). Still, it's hard to not suspect that Walker's indie car-racing project is going to end up left in the dust (pun intended), when lined up alongside the sixth Fast and the Furious installment this year.

We will let you know when Vehicle 19 lands an official U.S. release date.

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Source: Collider