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JUSTIN TANNER REVIEWS HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE
Nothing makes my little heart beat faster than a genuine piece of subversive art sneaking onto the cultural landscape. The title alone of Daniel “Cam” Goldhaber‘s new film was enough to get my cinematic gonads all a-flutter. What’s in a title? Everything. In 2004 (and 2018) the satirically seditious theatrical event “I’m Going to Kill the President: A Federal Offense” ran in Los Angeles and I was both thrilled that it was happening — and too scared to attend. Just hearing that the location was kept secret and that the audience would be asked to surrender their cell phones — in order to keep the cast safe — brought out my inner scaredy cat. When it comes to titling my own work, any provocateur ambitions I have invariably get talked off the ledge by gun shy producers — my 2010 play “Have an Abortion!” was wisely renamed “Procreation.” Still, whenever the culture puts forth an audaciously named product, like Al Franken’s book “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot: And Other Observations,” I can’t help but do a happy dance of vicarious subversion.
And the film itself more than upholds that promise: “Pipeline” is not only a clarion call to action, it’s also a rip roaring heist film that brings to mind the tightly constructed Soderbergh capers ”Out of Sight,” “Logan Lucky” and the “Oceans” films. There are even some smooth, kinetic touches of Kubrick (”The Killing”), Dassin (”Topkapi’), Melville (”Bob le Flambeur”) and Huston (”The Asphalt Jungle”) in Goldhaber’s film. Though the sense of urgency and inevitable ‘rightness’ behind the actions of its characters makes the “Pipeline” escapade — which, instead of being about a sum of money, involves the deliberate destruction of government property — seem as vital and correct as Luke Skywalker blowing up the Death Star. The script is tight, the direction and editing as taut as a strung wire and the acting, from a cast of young fresh faces, is across-the-board vital, intuitive and bursting with charm. The plot is simple, its premise laid out succinctly in the title: A group of eight disparate, nascent anarchists — each with their own personal reasons for being involved — decide to sabotage a pipeline in order to combat climate change and protest big oils encroachment and destruction of native American lands. Or at least we think we do.
Director Goldhaber, who also serves as co-screenwriter — along with Ariela Barer Jordan Sjol — never gets lost in the activism of the story; he knows that first and foremost he’s making a thriller, and wisely leans into that genre’s building blocks of bait-and-switch, as well as the use of multiple red herrings, double crosses and twisty reveals. It is 104 minutes of non-stop tension, with the inevitable fear of getting caught racing neck and neck with the even more palpable terror of being blown up. Forrest Goodluck (“The Revenant”) plays the ordnance-handling expert of the mission, his monomaniacal love of explosives — and desire for retribution — compelling him to take risk after risk. Goodluck’s unwavering focus and white hot, brooding intensity anchors the exigent center of the film, ever reminding us that since the reality of climate change has basically doomed his generation, he has literally nothing to lose. Co-screenwriter Ariela Barer (”Runaways”) as Xochitl, the organizing leader of the group, brings zealous honesty and harrowing vulnerability to her role, balancing the need for action with a genuine concern for her team’s well-being. Kristine Froseth (”The Society”) and Lukas Gage (”White Lotus”) provide equal parts comedy and pathos as a romantic couple in way over their heads. When things go south — as they inevitably do — Froseth’s panic and Gage’s pain are tactile and authentic. The rest of the cast, especially the endearingly smooth Marcus Scribner (”Black-ish”), shine in their well-defined parts, creating an intricately laced ensemble where each character serves a specific need. And their collective belief in the project at hand makes the audience’s shared desire for their mission’s success absolutely breathtaking.
Law enforcement is perhaps given short shrift in the plot. One scene with a couple of government workers trying to protect a site in the middle of the desert has a slight Keystone Cops vibe. The filmmakers didn’t need to underplay the potential threat for our heroes. In fact, something more potent at that juncture would’ve meant for a further ratcheting up of the already unbearable tension. Nonetheless, “How To Blow Up A Pipeline” is a terrific thriller, and a much needed example of how a skilled director even working within a tiny budget can still make miracles happen. IN THEATERS
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