From director Paul Greengrass and inspired by real events, “The Lost Bus” is a white-knuckle ride through one of America’s deadliest wildfires as a wayward school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and a dedicated school teacher (America Ferrera) battle to save 22 children from the terrifying inferno.
George M. Thomas for the Akron Beacon Journal:
Director Paul Greengrass has a track record with fact-based films, most notably “United 93,” which documented the drama of one of the planes hijacked and crashed in the attacks on 9/11. His filming style lends itself to that type of you-are-there subject matter.
In the case of Apple TV+’s “The Lost Bus,” that’s especially true, as Greengrass — who also directed two entries in the Bourne series, “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum” — is known for high-level action films.
In fact, Greengrass blends the two sensibilities to create a tense journey based on a true story that possesses the tension of a good actioner…
McConaughey and Ferrera do a lot of the dramatic lifting here as their characters work overtime to get the students home safely all while ensuring that they won’t panic. In McKay’s case he has to worry about relatives who are in the fire’s direct path and McConaughey, an Oscar winner, conveys the conflicting emotions regarding conflicting duties.
Their performances certainly add to the film, but Greengrass deserves a heaping amount of praise for recreating the disaster on the screen providing scope that does indeed put the audience right in the middle of action.
“The Lost Bus” would have been a great watch on a big screen, but at home will have to do. It makes for an easy, enjoyable weekend watch.
MacDailyNews Take: This one sounds like a real barnburner!
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