How often do we as movie fans living in Thailand get the chance to see foreign films, especially ones from Saudi Arabia? But thanks to streaming services like Netflix, now we get to see Saudi content like the comedy thriller Head To Head.
I was not sure what to expect when going into Head To Head. I guess this is probably a modern take that attempts to break away from traditional Saudi storytelling and is more of a Western style. In fact, Head To Head feels almost like the work of somebody who watches too many Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino movies. But it's the injection of Saudi culture that makes it different.
Head To Head is based on the story of mechanic Fayadh and chauffeur Darwish in Riyadh. One day, a case of mistaken identity results in a crime lord being picked up by Darwish instead of the original CEO. Things go from bad to worse as Darwish enlists Fayadh to turn things around and swap passengers. The pair find themselves on the run and trying to come up with a new plan to escape a series of crazy situations, igniting a wild life-changing adventure.
The dynamic between the two lead characters is probably the most interesting aspect of the movie and helps add to the story, besides the two running for their lives from unhinged mobsters. This makes the movie work at a basic level because these two are so different in terms of disposition. They frequently have conflicts with each other throughout the movie, and it's fun to see them banter back and forth.
Hollywood's quirky crime influence is obvious when watching Head To Head. And that's not a bad thing because nowadays, everybody is being influenced by others. You'll clearly notice the styles and the patterns in this film, from the trunk shots to the split screens, to the nonlinear progression format and how it uses spaghetti western-style music in the background. It looks and sounds cool, but somehow, it just doesn't quite fit the story.
I enjoyed this movie at first, but after time it became tedious and confusing. It has its funny moments and the chemistry between the leads is fair, but the story becomes more complicated than necessary and the comedy only goes so far before it starts to get absurd.
(Photos: Netflix Thailand)
The movie also takes a while to build the whole crime syndicate story. I didn't mind this aspect so much as it's nice that the movie doesn't rush through things and takes time to explain parts of its world. It's what it does with all these parts that fell flat for me.
A lot of things about this movie felt wrong and so out of place. The storytelling is choppy, the editing is disjointed and the neon-drenched tone that is used throughout is overwhelming. The script is also problematic, as if the writers don't understand how to effectively piece the mystery together like they saw in movies such as Snatch (2000) or Pulp Fiction (1994). The character designs and the performances are also over-the-top cartoony. The plot keeps bouncing from point to point aimlessly, which makes the protagonists' arguments or plans seem inconsistent and flaky at best.
Overall, Head To Head is a generic comedy thriller that's entertaining in parts of its subgenres but also works against itself. In fact, one of the few things that kept me watching this movie until the end is the Saudi elements and its beautiful location, from the sandy desert to the colour-matching clothes and garments. Too bad that can't make up for so many other flaws this movie has.
- Head To Head
- Starring Abdulaziz Alshehri, Adel Radwan, Mohammad Alqass
- Directed by Malik Nejer
- Now streaming on Netflix
