Night Drive review – LA car-boot caper pulls it out of the bag

A clever twist elevates this cynical but conventional crime thriller to another level – even if it comes late in the day

From Kiss Me Deadly to Repo Man to Pulp Fiction, the suitcase/car boot with mysterious contents has a distinct lineage in Los Angeles-set cinema. Perhaps a cipher for the city’s legendary transience and elusive promises, another one shows up in this snarky low-budget crime thriller in the hands of Charlotte (Sophie Dalah). She does a runner with it from the house of an ex-boyfriend, instructing her ride-share driver Russell (AJ Bowen) to sit outside and keep the motor running.

This is just the first stop. Russell, in a white Porsche that is all that remains of his payout from prematurely selling his share of a successful app, is needled by the pretty, insouciant Australian he picks up. Initially flirtatious, Charlotte enjoys pushing the middle-aged man’s buttons. Then, after the unannounced suitcase heist, they hit and apparently kill a stranger in a parking lot. Her glib jokes and callous calculation are enough to make Russell wonder if, like a gig-economy version of Collateral, he has a psychopath on board.