StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Octane, which also goes by the equally ambiguous and stylish title 'Pulse', is a fascinating, frustrating pseudo - horror effort that charges out of the gate in positively wicked fashion, with one of the most suspenseful opening thirds I've seen. It's doesn't keep up that rich, devilishly dark tone for the entire time though, degenerating into muddy clichés upon reaching the final act. It's almost as if it tried so hard to resist genre conventions by throwing bizarre shock tactics into the mix that it stumbles over itself and spills the entire concoction all over the floor. I can forgive it that though, because in a genre full of filmmakers who don't even try, it at least strives to give the story it's own specific brand of unnerving menace, and when it's good, it's really good. Madeleine Stowe is fantastically intense as Senga Wilson, a single mother driving across country through the night with her daughter Natasha (Mischa Barton). There are tricky mother daughter issues which create tension between the two, only intensified by the arrival of a mysterious hitchhiker (Bijou Philips) who entices Natasha with wild tales of the road and unsettled Senga. Then, during a brief pause at a truck stop, Natasha disappears into thin air, propelling Senga into a feverish fit of panic, paranoia and maternal angst. The police are only vaguely interested, and no one else seems to have any clue what happened, save for a strange couple who constantly appear at the sight of accidents. Her only help comes from a tow truck driver named The Recovery Man (Norman Reedus balances comforting and sinister scarily well), who is trawling the night looking for something as well. She's led on a dark odyssey with an unearthly feel, coming across dead ends, red herrings and psychos galore including a vampiric cult leader (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). The film soaks in much of its atmosphere via a score by a group called Orbital that is like nothing on this earth, musically speaking. It's such a weird composition of synth, drums, creepy vocals and droning phenomena it brings any scene to life and gets you to pray you don't get stuck in Senga's situation. I just really wish the film didn't derail and fall apart near the end, because it's got a lot of really strong elements and it would have been to cool to see a consistency to them that it just doesn't sustain. Having said that, it's still worth a look for its unique brand of eeriness.

jonathan45 Another film with all the style of an art house intelligent movie but none of the substance. Great mood setting in places but no script to back it up. Madelaine Stowe, easily the best actor in the movie, did her best with a muddled script and a potentially interesting character. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an okay actor but too pretty boy to convince in most roles, Mischa Barton was fine at playing the same character she plays in the O.C. Bijou Phillips isn't a good actor but looks the part as a screwed up killer. This film faltered and halted all over the place, intriguing characters were dropped and ignored to howls of frustration- the Christian looking couple- were eerie and exciting yet ignored completely , reduced to atmospheric window dressing. The motivational speaker who had such an effect on Madelaine Stowes drugged up mum was another, i suspect in these scenes we were seeing the script that was before the director hacked it to shreds. In summation this movie felt like a great script ruined by an inexperienced music video director who has a good visual eye but no talent for characterisation.

Coventry Ah, the adorable Mrs.Stowe… I sure miss the late 80's/early 90's, back when she was an elite member of the chosen few actresses club (alongside Linda Fiorentino, Lara Flynn Boyle and Sherilyn Fenn) who's every new film became instant priority-viewing on my movies' list. I wonder if she herself regrets the glorious days of "China Moon", "Blink" and "Unlawful Entry" are gone forever, especially now that she has to appear in below par and allegedly 'hip' new horror movies like this dreadfully irritating "Octane". This film is, briefly put, a big fat steaming & smelly pile of utter garbage. The story makes no sense whatsoever, the terribly slow built up atmosphere of mysteriousness leads absolutely nowhere, the "villainous" characters are pathetic & all but menacing and there's a seriously frustrating shortage of gore and sleaze. The ravishing Madeleine Stowe plays the uptight mother of an equally ravishing teenage girl (Mischa Barton) and the two are on a long and nightly homeward car journey. Things heat up when mommy forbids her daughter to go to a music concert and, bang, the girl promptly runs off with a bunch of rebellious teenagers in a giant truck. The fact she wanders off with complete strangers is already quite implausible, especially in this day and age, but the script even gets sillier when the strangers turn out to be members of some sort of bizarre cult. I think it's even hinted that they are a modern type of vampires, but that's never really confirmed. And then it even gets more retarded when literally everyone on the highway appears to be involved in this fiendish organization, including a female police officer and random motor home people in a restaurant. Stephen Volk's screenplay is truly unimaginative, borrowing even elements from 70's chillers like "Race With The Devil", Marcus Adams' direction is totally uninspired (not at all stylish, like some reviews I encountered dare to proclaim) and you know you're in trouble when someone without charisma like Jonathan Rhys Meyers is supposed to play an evil personified type of character referred to as The Father. Give me a break. "Octane" is a pretentious, pitiable and miserable excuse for a thriller, and if you have idea what good film-making is about you'll stay the hell away from it.

Richard M After reading some of the comments on Octane, i really was in doubt weather to watch the movie or not. But hey, it was Saturday night, nothing else to watch, so i gave it a try. I was prepared to get puzzled half through the movie, 'cause some comments explained the ending was hard to get.I did get the ending, but i don't get some of the comments. The movie doesn't explain everything into detail: it leaves a little of the plot to your own fantasy, but the story of the movie is pretty consistent.Overall the acting is doable, Madeleine Stowe is intriguing as always and the cinematographic shots and the editing give the movie a plus. True, the story does rap up a little too fast at the ending and this movie is definitely not a horror, but a thriller. For a late Saturday night a nice thriller to watch.