Just from looking at the cover of ‘Movin’ Too Fast,’ I had a feeling I was going to be sorely disappointed. The font and cover art made it look like another ‘Fast and the Furious’ joint. Regardless, I popped it in and surprisingly, this was an enjoyable little road thriller in the vein of ‘The Hitcher’ mixed with ‘Duel’. Though I think the film got lost in the marketing department (I much preferred its alternate title, ‘Lost in Plainview’) it’s still worth checking out for those of you who enjoy some good old fashioned late night movie-channel-style entertainment.

The film follows two sexy women making their way to California through the southwest desert. Melissa (Marquita Terry) meets Nina (Layla Alexander) at a highway pit stop and offers her a ride since they’re both heading to California. The two seem to hit it off and trust each other far too easily; (the last time some strange man picked me up in the desert, it took me at least three hours to trust him before he let me out of his basement.) But the two are happy to be in each other’s company and continue down the vast nothingness that is the desert highway. Through general conversation, we get to know our two heroines; Melissa is an outgoing flirt who seems to know what she is doing when it comes to having fun and attracting the opposite sex. Nina is far less experienced than Melissa and is more shy and nervous when it comes to trying something new. The two stop at a diner where Melissa attracts the eye of local patrolman, JW (Matthew Glave). After the two leave the diner, they are soon pulled over, something that Melissa seems to be expecting. She idly flirts with JW and he suggests that they follow him back to his station to sort out a ‘ticket’. Melissa and JW start having a little fun in the holding cells, but when she tries to cut the party short after hearing Nina calling for her, JW loses his temper and attempts to rape her. Using his nightstick, Melissa whops him a good one and then speeds away with Nina. Soon enough, the two find themselves being relentlessly pursued by the patrol car forcing them to protect and serve each other before they wind up missing in the desert for good.

‘Movin’ Too Fast’ is the sophomore writing/directorial effort from Eric Chambers, who has an extensive history as a stuntman and stunt coordinator, ranging from ‘Glory’ to ‘The Pelican Brief’ to ‘Spider Man 2′. This definitely shows in the film because there are surprisingly some fancy driving skills on display, such as a the patrol car speeding backwards in front of Melissa’s car as well as some nifty crashes thrown into the mix. I was also surprised at how well some of the violence was used. The effects used during a shotgun blast scene as well as a slit throat victim are extremely well done and border on horror territory when the go far past the boundaries of the typical thriller genre kills.

The film also uses narration from Melissa throughout, and at first I found that a bit strange. However, in the end, it sort of sums up the movie’s point and adds a bit of depth to the characters and their situation.

The acting for the most part is decent, but Layla Alexander’s acting goes from good to bad far too much, especially when she’s screaming. Matthew Glave does a fine job as the flirtatious-to-furious JW, and I was particularly glad to see him in this film. (Any of you familiar with ‘The Wedding Singer’ will remember him as Glenn Gulia, the asshole ‘junk bonds’ boyfriend of Drew Barrymore’s character.)

‘Movin’ Too Fast’ isn’t going to break any boundaries in the film genre, but it’s definitely entertaining for what it is. It’s rated pretty low on the internet, but I would blame that partly on its marketing. Though the movie is about being pursued, it’s nothing as glam and racer-esque as the cover and title makes it out to be. It sort of has that feeling of a movie you catch on late night Showtime and decide to watch it because you have nothing else to do, but by the time it’s over, you’re glad you watched it. If anything, it only added to my hatred of cops even more!

The Hidden Message: ‘A good friend will help you move. A great friend will help you move a body.’