“How to Blow Up a Pipeline”

7.1

Maybe not the best laid plans, but a solid movie nonetheless.

Some of the film hit the notes I was worried about, some of it hit the high gear I was hoping it would. There are parts of the film that beat you over the head with the stereotypical college freshman taking on the world, blissfully unaware of the verbiage coming out of their mouth. Some of it hit the high gear of realizing that sometimes in the pursuit of a righteous goal, one becomes the very thing they seek to destroy. We then explore the irony of that for approximately 45 seconds. A brief glimmer of hope.

Technically, this film had me on the edge of my seat like I was re-watching “The Hurt Locker.” Something about watching someone handle explosives set to a score as tightly wound as the devices wiring was spell-binding. The story structure was also a nice creative choice that broke the tension and gave needed reprieve and backstory before diving back into a sweat session in the thick of the execution of the group’s plan. I can honestly say that the twist at the end caught me by pleasant surprise.

A solid, albeit odd film. I’m glad I finally got to see it on the big screen after months of it sitting in my Hulu watchlist.