‘Wardriver’ Review: Dane DeHaan (Sort of) Makes this Crime Thriller a Less Bumpy Ride

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Rebecca Thomas’s thriller, Wardriver, might make you think twice about using those ATMs at convenience stores. The movie blends the moody style of Drive with the heist elements of Heat, offering a glimpse into the world of cybercrime. However, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of those films. Wardriver is a small-scale thriller—made quickly in just 20 days—that’s enjoyable enough, but it’s unlikely to cause any serious paranoia about your bank account. It’s a decent urban crime story that provides some entertainment without being truly gripping.

Okay, let’s talk about the premise of this film. For those who don’t know, a ‘wardriver’ is basically someone who drives around trying to steal Wi-Fi signals – not exactly a thrilling visual concept, right? It’s mostly just…sitting in a car with a laptop. The director, Thomas – you might recognize his work from an episode of Stranger Things – smartly avoids this by focusing intensely on close-ups of our hacker, Cole, played by Dane DeHaan. It’s a way to build tension and keep things visually interesting when the actual activity is, frankly, a bit mundane.

The actor, best known for his role in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, delivers a strong performance, suggesting he’s capable of much more than his recent work. He portrays his character with a deliberately unpolished look – tired eyes and messy hair – to emphasize the ordinary and gritty reality of his criminal activities. However, the film asks viewers to accept that this criminal, Cole, has a moral code. He’s a skilled hacker who only targets banks, and he even helps a struggling neighbor by giving her prepaid credit cards with the money he makes, requiring some willingness to overlook the inherent contradictions.

The most compelling part of Daniel Casey’s F9: The Fast Saga script is how it’s initially presented. The beginning, where Cole casually photographs ATMs and explains his reasoning for only targeting businesses on Thursdays, makes the audience feel like they’re getting a glimpse into a hidden world of crime. While the movie initially capitalizes on this intriguing setup, the plot quickly becomes predictable until a series of surprising twists near the end re-engages the viewer.

Like many of his personal projects, such as The Limey, Steven Soderbergh could have heightened the suspense and visual flair in this story. However, the director opts for a realistic and restrained approach, aided by the cinematography which effectively uses Salt Lake City as a backdrop for the darker side of America – a location likely chosen for its affordability. We’re quickly thrown into this world when Oscar (Mamoudou Athie, who brings charm and intelligence to the role) breaks into Cole’s home, assaults him, and forces him to steal $800,000 from the account of Sarah (Sasha Calle, from The Flash), the girlfriend of a corrupt and uninteresting lawyer, Mark Bilson (Jeffrey Donovan). With no other options, Cole steals the money from Mark’s house late at night using his laptop. When Mark suspects Sarah of the theft and threatens her life, Cole begins to feel guilty and vows to recover the funds.

If Cole had watched a film like Double Indemnity – any classic noir about someone getting in trouble – he’d have left town right away. Instead, he falls for Sarah, and because he’s trying to save her, she starts to fall for him too. The actress playing Sarah isn’t quite as warm and seductive as classic noir heroines like Barbara Stanwyck or Veronica Lake, so the chemistry between her and DeHaan, who portrays a worried and withdrawn Cole, feels a little flat. Later, the film’s slow pace, particularly during a long sequence of Cole stealing money from ATMs, starts to feel drawn out.

The central mystery of where the story is headed keeps you watching until the very end, when Cole and Sarah plan one final heist hoping to escape for good. This plan is clearly doomed, highlighting the filmmakers’ deliberate choice to stick to the familiar tropes of a classic crime thriller. They do a good job of revealing just enough information at the right time, making the final plot twists somewhat surprising. That’s really the most unexpected thing Wardriver offers – it keeps you on the edge of your seat, but doesn’t try to reinvent the genre. Still, it’s well-executed, and the final shot – Cole looking in his rearview mirror – leaves you wondering what he’ll do next.

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2026-03-17 02:05