Move On

A PR project of the company Deutsche Telekom, Move On is an obviously poorer and less conceptual cousin of the celebrated PR project The Hire. In the case of The Hire, the carmaker BMW came up with a series of short films loosely connected by the character of a mysterious driver hired to carry out difficult tasks, played by the then internationally unknown Clive Owen, with the basic attraction being the involvement of established directors with distinctive styles, who gave each short episode a unique atmosphere. Though the people at Deutsche Telekom evidently watched The Hire, they evidently didn’t have as much money, or they were bound by the corporate concept of uniting Europe. The result is thus a project in which Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, known for a number of supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters, plays a nameless courier who transports a mysterious package across various countries, mainly in Eastern Europe. The whole thing is directed by the undistinguished craftsman Asger Leth, but always using a different production crew. The project was perhaps meant to be something between the Jason Bourne movies and the French Courier franchise, but its main drawback consists in the fact that the film/series doesn’t actually have a plot. Each episode takes place in a different country, which is primarily an excuse to show local historical sights and culture. Besides that, it is of course necessary to regularly demonstrate the multifunctionality of mobile telephones. In the few minutes that remain to the story, the filmmakers are strictly limited to piling up standard clichés. Therefore, the result is also more of a tourism promo for Eastern Europe than a cohesive narrative, let alone a thriller. Move On is simply just an illustration of the attractiveness of the spectacular form of advertising that can at least entice viewers to the screen to some degree, though there is absolutely no idea or meaning behind it. (28.06.2013)