A psychological thriller following Jake, a reclusive news editor, who is inadvertently sent secret dashcam video evidence that points to a possible conspiracy and cover-up involving high-ranking government officials.
You don’t expect a film called “Dashcam” to be light, diverting entertainment in this day and age. A title like that comes loaded with so much of the past few years, it’s almost a tinderbox in itself. But “Dashcam” is not that movie. It is almost the movie you want, the fun thriller that manages to wisely reflect on the past year with frightening accuracy, while never taking itself too seriously. It’s almost that film, but it’s still a dreary product of its time.
The movie deals with a conspiracy pulled right out of a late ’70s thriller and unfolds not unlike “Blowout.” A former New York attorney general (Larry Fessenden) is shot during a routine traffic stop. Though he’s known for a drinking problem and temper, conspiracy theories about the governor’s corruption are running rampant, and news video editor Jake Caul (Eric Tabach) is tasked with cutting the just-released dashcam footage into a segment. All appears fairly straightforward until the police accidentally send him a second confidential file.
Ultimately, “Dashcam”’s ideas may be better than its execution. It has echoes of some of those ’70s thrillers, but not the same energy. Some of the performances are hollow, and it can be a distraction when a more reliable in the genre, such as Fessenden, appears. What it lacks in performance, it makes up for in relevance. “Dashcam” is a shockingly timely film, beyond just the subject matter and the fact that it’s set on Halloween night. It is partly a found footage film (though it doesn’t limit itself to that gimmick) but it’s much more a work-from-home film. Throughout his work, Jake is regularly interrupted by doorbell cams, invites to virtual parties, and Facetime calls, much like everyone else.
Covid gives Jake a reason to sit in front of his computer all day, much more so than most films set around a monitor usually provide. In that same breath, however, “Dashcam” could easily be a QAnon film. The idea that you can expose a government conspiracy simply by editing and researching things online may be more dangerous than inspiring.
It’s tempting to get involved in Jake’s citizen journalism, and the film makes it look exhilarating. It’s even somewhat tense waiting for files to download on the monitor, knowing they hold another clue. Writer/director Christian Nilsson is exceptionally good at keeping the atmosphere overwhelming for the first two-thirds, with a foreboding sense of dread and claustrophobic framing. For some, sitting alone watching monitors and growing concerned about what’s unfolding basically sums up the last 18 months, if not more, and “Dashcam” will appeal to that subset.
But “Dashcam” can’t help but be deflating, perhaps adding fuel to that fire. The ending is painfully obvious, particularly given what’s playing on TV. It doesn’t help that all the in-joke references are similarly winking. Jake’s last name is the same as Gene Hackman’s in “The Conversation,” and “Blowout”’s influence is already noted. Nilsson might have been better off letting some of it go unstated, or perhaps not aim so high. Still, John Waters spoke recently about the need in our culture for a Covid exploitation film. We may not be there yet, but if “Dashcam” is any indication, we’re on the right track. All that’s necessary is to drop the air of self-importance.
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