Hit and Run

You’ve got to hand it to Dax Shepard.  Sick of being a supporting player in everything from kiddie adventure ‘Zathura’ (2005) to the ongoing TV version of ‘Parenthood’, he not only scripted this knockabout road comedy, he also co-directed it, co-edited it and took the lead role. It’s a pretty succesful tactic: expect Shepard’s star to ascend rapidly from here. He plays Charlie Bronson, an ex-crim living in witness protection in the sticks who is forced to confront his past when his soulmate, Annie (Kristen Bell), gets a job offer in his old stomping ground of Los Angeles. With cops and crooks on their tail, Charlie and Annie hit the highway, intent on making it to the interview on time. ‘Hit and Run’ has plenty of faults: the ‘plot’ is little more than a series of crude coincidences and car chases, while the script is alarmingly self-satisfied and derivative (Shepard is clearly a big Tarantino fan). But there’s just enough charm and decent one-liners to paper over the cracks, and the film moves at a thrilling pace.