Mojave | Wordy antagonists Garrett Hedlund & Oscar Isaac go head to head in offbeat thriller

Mojave Garrett Hedlund
(Image credit: © Signature Entertainment)

A desert encounter leads to a dangerous game of cat and mouse for Garrett Hedlund's Hollywood big shot and Oscar Isaac's sociopathic drifter in Mojave.

Mojave Garrett Hedlund

Burnt-out Hollywood big-shot Thomas (Garrett Hedlund) heads out into the Mojave Desert at the wheel of his jeep for a spot of boozy, reckless soul-searching, but his sojourn turns into a dangerous game of cat and mouse after he encounters sociopathic Shakespeare-quoting drifter Jack (Oscar Isaac).

Written and directed by William Monahan (the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Departed), this offbeat movie is a strangely compelling mix of existential thriller and film industry satire. Trailing a whiff of sulphur every time he appears, Isaac injects real menace into his role, while Hedlund oozes entitlement and angst. There's an enjoyable cameo, too, from Mark Wahlberg, hilarious as an addled Hollywood producer who appears to spend all his time cavorting with prostitutes while wearing a dressing gown and Ugg boots.

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Certificate 15. Runtime 93 mins. Director William Monahan

Mojave debuts on Sky Cinema Premiere on Tuesday 7 February and is available on Blu-ray & DVD from Signature Entertainment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIAjF2JNnyY

Jason Best

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.