IR Film Review: STOWAWAY [AMC+]
Creating a thriller on a boat has been done many times but integrating it in the context of a new streaming service is an interesting choice. “Stowaway” stars Frank Grillo and Ruby Rose but this is more specifically a film for Rose as Bella, a girl whose childhood became a hard knock life. Only after being released from prison does she realize that her father left her a boat. Grillo's character of a business partner friend of her now-passed father, is pegged from the beginning per se as a double crosser but he has charm. Rose for her part plays Bella interestingly, not too far to either side which gives her an approachability for sure. With her roles in “Batwoman” and last year's “SAS: Red Notice” with Sam Heughan, she is trying different approaches between bad guys and not-so-good girls, between the passive and aggressive sides of personality and finding a balance. This film is premiering it seems as an exclusive to AMC Plus which is a cool but hit-and-miss strategy.
The film comes from Voltage Pictures who sometimes make theatrical but mostly, in the past, straight to video films with lower production value and quick shoots. ”Stowaway” does what it can with what it is given, and Rose doesn't phone it in which is commendable. Grillo has the less thankful job with a role that is fairly one-dimensional but maybe interesting enough for a mid-afternoon view. The good thing is that putting the film on this specific platform like this may give these smaller budget films that perhaps would get completely lost on another service a fighting chance. And the genre and angle fits in are in a certain way with the AMC genre brand a bit of visibility. It depends if this is a on/off experiment. The effects, especially the ending, leave a lot to be desired and the script isn't the tightest piece of work but it does what it does. Patrick Schwarzenegger shows up now and again as a bit of a plot ploy but like Grillo is really no more than a cameo of sorts. “Stowaway” is what it is but despite that its possibility offers a new foray for smaller films with an action/genre bent to get noticed on a new streaming service testing out its waters. C-
By Tim Wassberg
