Review 760: The Lost Bus

There's something about Paul Greengrass' movies that just give you a thrill, they manage to put you in  wether it be a hero on the run from a corrupt government or in claustrophobic spaces like a 28-foot lifeboat. 

Based on the book Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson, Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) is a bus driver who has to navigate a rescue of a bus carrying 22 children and their teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) to safety through the 2018 Camp Fire which became the deadliest fire in California history.

This feels very much like a film of our times. Everywhere you look, it feels like the world is one fire. Opening with a boiling sun over parched and dried land  They thought it would be just another brush fire, but it spiralled out of control into something far worse.

Underneath all of the spectacle, this is a very thrilling film about heroism, people coming together as a community, human resiliency and second chances. 

The film has a beautifully warm look to it, giving the Northern California setting a lot texture thanks to the gorgeous cinematography. The score by James Newton Howard is exciting and pulse pounding 

Matthew McConaughey & America Ferrera are splendid in their roles   McConaughey, in what must be his first role since Guy Ritchie's The Gentleman about half a decade ago, once again shows  Kevin just wants to get back to his son but when it comes to   he chose to take the call 

America Ferrera  she captures the fear and vulnerability of Mary in every scene she's in and every word she says.