Shown as a work-in-progress, Stuber is a police action comedy set up in the classic fashion. Flashing back to a fight with local drug lord Teijo (The Raid’s Iko Uwais), when man mountain cop Vic (Dave Bautista) misses his shot, his partner Morris (Karen Gillan) is killed in the aftermath as Teijo gets away.
A few weeks on and the case seemingly has gone cold, so Vic books himself in for laser eye surgery so he never misses a shot again. Only that’s when they get a tip, Teijo has resurfaced and unless Vic picks up the chase right away, who knows when they might be able track him down again.
But Vic is barely able to see, never mind race around down. So he calls for an Uber, and unwitting driver Stu (Kumail Najiani) is thrown into the action whether he likes it or not, as the unlikely double act are soon embroiled in firefights with gangsters, the kidknapping of a drug dealer in the back of Stu’s Prius, and more heart-pumping action in one night than mild-mannered Stu has seen his whole life.
Following quite a tried and tested formula, it doesn’t take Stuber long to kick into gear, with contrasting lives of cop Vic – wanting to avenge the death of his partner – and Stu – wanting to get back up to a 5-star rating on Uber – thrown together with explosive effect.
Stuber is a full-bodied action comedy, with the firefights ringing in your ears, feeling every punch, every kick; the emphatic action is one of the better things in director Michael Dowse’s latest picture. However the film struggled a lot more on the comedy side.
While the chalk and cheese double act are charismatic in their own right, unfortunately they don’t really gel as a pair as the chemistry never quite feels right. Jumping from set-piece to set-piece, the actors aren’t helped out by a lacklustre script and Nanjiani and Bautista don’t have great moments to shine on-screen. Also while the plot points aren’t forecasted, Stuber doesn’t do anything new in the genre and you can guess where it’s headed every step along the way.
Bautista is forced to squint for most of the picture, with his character recovering from laser eye surgery, but its a gimmick that grows old before too long. He turns in a solid performance but his character is very unlikeable so it’s hard to ever be on his side. Opposite him, Nanjiana is his usual quirky self, though he does hold his own in an action setting for the first time. The effortless Karen Gillan and villain Iko Uwais are the best things about the film but they’re on-screen for such a short amount of time, Stuber doesn’t give look the main double act.
Hopefully director Michael Dowse can fix some of the problems by the time the final release comes around, though adding the necessary depth for such a flat film might be too much of an ask. I’d love to see more of Nanjia ni in an action setting, while Bautista also has a lot to offer outside of the MCU, but Stuber is a lacklustre effort that doesn’t make the most of an interesting concept.