The car chase has long been a Hollywood staple. But few have been as extensive as the one that consumes most of the running time of the thriller “The Mongoose” (Goldwyn). Nor has such a pursuit often been presented in so morally muddled a way as this one.
At the wheel is Ryan “Fang” Flanagan (Liam Neeson), an Afghan War vet afflicted with PTSD. He’s on the run from the police because of a recent death for which he fears he will be blamed.
As he drives, Flanagan reflects on his harrowing experience as a prisoner of the Taliban, the breakdown of his marriage to his ex-wife, Tara (Marisa Tomei), and the incident that led to his becoming a wanted man. Crossing into Texas, he enters the jurisdiction of the head of its state police, Maj. Walter Pope (Michael Chiklis), who vows to catch him by any means necessary.
Earlier on, Flanagan had gained the sympathy of Pope’s counterpart in Arkansas, Maj. James Tilton (Maurice Marvel Meredith). Tilton is thus set up as a humane foil to the ruthless Pope, who is very much the villain of the piece.
As scripted by Thompson Evans, director Mark Vanselow’s labored actioner celebrates Flanagan’s bond with two former comrades, Tanker (Ving Rhames) and Munch (Marcus Thomas). But this and his heroic service record are used to justify his dangerously breakneck, multi-state flight from justice which continually imperils both the police and other drivers.
In fact, as his journey progresses, Flanagan becomes a cause celebre across the country, with people rooting for him to reach his ultimate destination, Mexico, and protesting against law enforcement. The audience is clearly meant to share this outlook.
The whole narrative is thus ethically off-base. While Flanagan may be innocent of the crime for which he originally feared being charged, by the time the final credits roll, he’s endangered countless lives and broken innumerable laws in his effort to escape.
The film contains skewed values, wartime and other violence with some gore, a scene of mild marital sensuality, brief sexual references and humor, about a dozen uses each of profanity and rough language, at least one milder oath, several crude expressions and some crass terms. The OSV News classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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