Rebecca Thomas’s new neo-noir thriller Wardriver stars Dane DeHaan as Cole, a petty hacker who steals from unsecured wifi networks. The film paints a convincingly hoodlum world where every table is turned, with DeHaan showing scuzzy self-assurance as the scammer.
Cole’s lucky streak ends when Oscar (Mamoudou Athie), a menacing restaurant doorman, forces him to fleece glamorous client Sarah (Sasha Calle), who boasts $800,000 in her account. After they siphon the money, Cole gets scammer’s remorse when criminal lawyer Mark (Jeffrey Donovan) threatens to kill Sarah unless the cash is returned.
Thomas’s film essentially rigs a tale of three heists: the initial score, Cole’s attempt to win it all back, and a final turn of the tables. However, the switcheroo feels too clinical and streamlined, lacking character depth. The solitary hacker figure has innate intrigue, but the film doesn’t fill in the blanks or deploy Cole as a stripped-back archetype like Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive.
DeHaan gives Cole a nocturnal charm, and Athie is solid as the falsely affable, violent opportunist. While psychologically thin, Wardriver’s demi-monde is convincingly venal, with enough fast-driving attack and romanticised ferment to pass for a Michael Mann film in the dark.
