Surf film - THE DRIFTER: reviews

THE DRIFTER [02.11.2009] Category: Surf film

"We dream of the perfect wave, the perfect job, the perfect house. When we get there, we dream of something else...." - Rob Machado

THE DRIFTER
A review by THE COLT
4.50/5

I've watched The Drifter 3 times already and get something new from it every time. We watch films, but how often do we actually hear and see a film for all that it is? The Drifter is a degustation for the senses, with every part of the film being A-class.

Steele has pulled out all stops on The Drifter, bringing together all the magic he's spent years developing into this epic release. Unlike your standard surf flick, Steele has created a film about a surfer, Rob Machado and his surfing journey we all wish we were a part of.

Starting with Rob's epiphany in the surf mecha Bali, you're confronted with the true essence of Kuta and what we've all come to love and hate about the place. It's here that Machado begins his journey through to one of Indonesia's outermost reaches with nothing but a surfboard, his journal and a tent. Along the way you meet amazing people and special characters. You witness surfing magic (Machado dancing on water), laugh at an ill-fated motorcycle purchase, feel the passion behind his decision to delay his return to California, and for Machado fans, you get a deeper understanding and insight as to what's going in his mind.

(At the risk of being labeled weird I'm going to throw it out there)...You’re taken on a journey and not just the physical type…this one stirs your soul as you watch Machado embark on a dope spiritual journey that has one ambition...to surf alone and find your self.

"It's déjà vu all over again… Surfing seems to the only thing that keeps me sane". It's this 'Ed Norton, Fight Club' narrative style that really sets The Drifter apart from other surf films. Steele is a huge fan of Fight Club (as we found out in an interview we did awhile back) and this film showcases a cluster of synergies. Great if you love Fight Club, and even better if you like Machado. As a big fan of them both, I’m frothing.

I won't spoil your chance to journey through this amazing film by sharing all the details, but rather I’d like to tell you why I believe this film is one of the best surf films to date...

The Cinematography is all-time, and Steele should be commended. He's brought in some incredible new angles and editing techniques that I haven't seen in a surf film before. Using his golden eye, he brings a creative edge to the film that even top Hollywood directors would appreciate. The way the surfing has been shot will have you mesmerized, and feeling like you're right there in the moment. You'll witness Machado's super smooth style, against breathtaking waves that don't have a drop of water out of place. Pure magic.

Mix in a festival for the ears sound track with musicians like Jon Swift, Rob Machado, Stardeath & White Dwarfs, The Black Keys, By The Fireside, The Raconteurs, Midlake, Iron & Wine, Tegan & Sara, Jon and Roy, The Len Brown Society, Dr. Dog, Brett Dennen, Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez, MGMT, Yeasayer and The Shins. The soundtrack alone is worth getting a hold of. (A taste of the tracks below...)

So I'll point out that the film doesn't contain loads of surfing, but that's not what they (Steele and Machado) set out to achieve and it's this difference that had me glued to the screen from start to finish. It's fresh and it’s new and it’s something many of us have been crying out for. Surfer or not, you'll get something out of this film. Whether it's the amazing cinematography, well crafted editing or the spiritual, soul-searching journey, you'll want to be a part of it.

Ok so you get that I love it... and if I look at it a little less personally and passionately I admit the film isn’t flawless, but it’s raw and it’s honest. Sure it's hard to call it 'raw and honest' when there's a huge production crew following Rob around trying to capture everything so perfectly, but that doesn't take away from the films overall feeling and offering. Sure it could have been done with a hand held camera for the raw appeal, but it's the amazing cinematography and professional cuts that make it such a viewing pleasure.

No doubt there’ll be the standard crew of haters out there looking for mistakes and issues. You know who they are... and you know what they’re gonna say... “That's not soul searching when you have a camera crew following" or "I’m not going to see the film” Why? “Because I live it already..." We all live it in some way or another, but it's a gorgeous vision when you see it through the eyes of one of the greatest surfers and film makers of all time. I for one, connected with this film, having done some ‘drifting’ myself through the mountains of Peru, surfing through Chile and hiking through Patagonia, I'm sure a lot of others will also strongly relate.

In my humble opinion, I’d say an older audience (18+) will maybe appreciate the film more, only for the fact it’s about finding inner peace. Something we tend to do more of as we get older, when we’ve had enough of the daily grind and we go searching for the chance to re-connect with that person inside of us. Deep down we all have a bit of 'The Drifter' that wants to be heard.

It's a special film that while categorised as a surf film, offers so much more. You know how much I love it, now see it for yourself and let us know what you think.

FILM HI-LIGHTS
1. First wave of the film - An awesome pulled back angled shot of Rob pulling into an 8-10sec perfect barrel. Ultra smooth and looks amazing.

2. Rob's amusing 'Taksi' ride, followed by his new found relationship with his new best friend...the bike.

3. The lonely boat ride - The filming is amazing in this section, no music, just a few local sounds. It's eerie and powerful.

4. Finding out he has a personal body guard from a local village.

5. Scoring Desert point at the end. Epic smooth pits that have you drooling for more.

QUOTES
Much of the dialogue in The Drifter is taken from Rob's own personal journals. According to respected surf journalist Nathan Myers, who co-wrote the movie, there is nothing embellished in Rob's candid, heart-felt passages. Here's a taste...

"One day I decided to paddle alone between these two islands, and half way across I found myself too tired to continue. I stopped paddling and just sat there. [pause] I've never felt so insignificant in my whole life."

"Some times when you're most alone, you're not alone at all..."

"We dream of the perfect wave, the perfect job, the perfect house. When we get there, we dream of something else...."

"In Indo - where you are, is part of who you are..."

"I don't really know what to call home anymore. If I had to pick a place I guess it'd be the ocean. It's where I feel the most comfortable and I can just be myself."

"Surfing is basically a pretty selfish activity. We ride waves because it feels... really good. That's about it. But, in the course of chasing waves, sometimes we're given the opportunity to give something back. And somehow - don't ask me how, it seems to make the next waves we ride so much better."

And his classic mobile phone message:
"Hey this is Rob's phone. I don't know where I am right now. In fact no body does. Don't worry about it."

mesurf rating:

user rating:

User comments (31)

[02.11.2009] Posted by Tom

Nice review. I saw the film at the premiere the other night and thought it was pretty good. A little too Hollywood for me, but the visuals were amazing. Taylor and Machado did an amazing job on the film and it's definitely worth a watch.

Flag as inappropriate

[02.11.2009] Posted by faegan

Good Review. Looks unreal. Can't wait for the DVD release.

Flag as inappropriate

[02.11.2009] Posted by Wang

Loved the review, thought the movie was rad... Solid job all round

Flag as inappropriate

[02.11.2009] Posted by Alex

Went to the premiere last week. Enjoyed the film, great photography, great story. A little bit too 'set-up' for me in parts. But all in all, well filmed and edited, well told. Great soundtrack, 3.8/5 yew

Flag as inappropriate

[02.11.2009] Posted by MMW

I can remember watching Machado on VHS back in 1996 featuring in Psychedelic Desert Groove. As a youngster back then, I would press pause and rewind this movie a million times. I know I drove my folks nutz. With The Drifter it's pretty obvious you can see how much Machado has grown spiritually and in every other way. You're correct. Not an flawless movie but it is a freaking awesome movie of that.

Flag as inappropriate

[03.11.2009] Posted by Luke

Taylor Steele proves once again what amazing talent he has and he shows it well in this. Yeh it's a bit Hollywood but it's definitely worth watching.

Flag as inappropriate

[03.11.2009] Posted by Deano

Cool soundtrack. Great editing by Taylor Steele. But who would of ever thought that Nathan Myers could actually write something that I would enjoy?

Flag as inappropriate

[03.11.2009] Posted by Jayden

Yet to see the actual movie but i'm sure it'll be pretty spectacular judging from what i've heard, read and the snippets I have seen. Look forward to watching it when it comes my way. The soundtrack seems pretty sick.

Flag as inappropriate

[03.11.2009] Posted by Tye

Nice review. I like it. Yet to see the movie myself, but i'm sure it'll be a ripper.

Flag as inappropriate

[03.11.2009] Posted by Bretto

Great review on The Drifter. Well written and well explained.

Flag as inappropriate

[07.11.2009] Posted by GSK

Is Machado for real? Fucking little hippie. I only watched this because it was a Taylor Steele production. Modern Collectives will shit all over this.

Flag as inappropriate

[07.11.2009] Posted by Cody

It will come down to the battle of the hair. Machado over Jordy. I'm going for the under dog. His surfing is better and he scores more with the ladies. Even if they are older.

Flag as inappropriate

[07.11.2009] Posted by Not Nathan Myers

Modern Collective is a total different movie all together. The Drifter is too staged and it fucked me off. Machado fucked me off. The whole storyline fucked me off. Lets just put it all on Nathan Myers. The guy is a tool.

Flag as inappropriate

[07.11.2009] Posted by Bob Dobb

The Drifter seemed to be a semi documentary of Rob Machado's mid life crisis. An hour long episode of an Oprah Winfrey show. Better tittle might have been " The Spliffter". This mellow man, Spicolli routine got old, even for is ex-wife. King Mellowman. Give me the morning ride.

Flag as inappropriate

[07.11.2009] Posted by Hamo

Keen to see it, Go the chob. A shame I do not have the budget to travel the world surfing kick ass breaks. Certainly beats this mornings on shore east coast slop.

Flag as inappropriate

[08.11.2009] Posted by Augustus Gloop

If you are an insomniac, this movie will guarantee to lull you to sleep by the half way mark. Maybe even before that if you're real lucky.

Flag as inappropriate

[08.11.2009] Posted by Ricochet Rabbit

Monotone Machado. How can one sound so depressed and lost when you're making a killing of close to 1/2 million U.S big ones a year to travel and surf? Give me a break.

Flag as inappropriate

[08.11.2009] Posted by Bob Dobb

Hurley knows. After all of the hype, the number of people who logged off in the first 20 minutes must have been enormous. If you've seen the trailer, you saw the film. B.O.R.I.N.G.

Flag as inappropriate

[01.12.2009] Posted by jarrod

This movie is very appealing and captures our feeling so easly but u have to rember that rob is sucessful wordl surfer that gets paid where ever he goes so he can never fuck up while hes traveling cuz hes got the money the clothes the surfboards and definatly has the fiends. real traveling is about never knowing wats gonna happen tomorrow that wat rob is doing. i think the movioe is bull shit but its really fake an rob is just trying to make an image for his name they capture the essecne of traveling but its all to fake in mi books yewww oeee

Flag as inappropriate

[01.12.2009] Posted by james

when does this hit australia - where can we see it ????????

Flag as inappropriate

[16.12.2009] Posted by admin

You can get a copy now through vas entertainment.

Flag as inappropriate

[18.12.2009] Posted by fred

Yeah you cant manufacture (or capture) freedom and drifting with surf/escape trips. Go wtach any Andrew Kidman films to get the real thing...better still...Morning of Earth! Still the "chob" is pretty cool - imagine if slater was the drifter in this (yuk!)

Flag as inappropriate

[28.12.2009] Posted by Seige

This film captures some of the greatest barrel rides of all time. Its Indo magic at its absolute best and Machado draws his artful lines along unending green glass walls. But for some reason the surfing takes a back seat to a story which is contrived, pretentious and awful. Machado plays a loner who - for some reason - is grumpy and annoyed throughout most of the movie. "The Wanker" would be a better title.

Flag as inappropriate

[06.01.2010] Posted by Dave

Saw the film with some friends and we all really enjoyed it. Left us feeling good and wanting to surf good waves. Cool flick.

Flag as inappropriate

[09.01.2010] Posted by Matt

Without a doubt the most boring movie I have ever seen. Can't believe that I forked out money for this over hyped piece of film onanism. Even worse than "slipping jetstreams". Rob comes across as a pretentious and ungracious "surfer" who does not even attempt to understand the people and culture of the country he is travelling through. Case in point is when he is handed his board from off the back of the bus and does not even nod a thanks to the guys who handed it to him. His insights into himself are vapid at best and are more suited to the types of self discovery made in "dolly" magazine by 14 year old girls. I will not be viewing another Taylor Steele movie after this one - Two strikes and you're out Mr Steele..

Flag as inappropriate

[11.01.2010] Posted by Asa

Yet another pseudo-spiritual, go nowhere film about an overpaid surfer claiming to rally against corporate greed whilst being filmed from a Hurley helicopter.....If you really want to be 'alone' Rob, how about going on a surf trip without the cameras, expense account, wardrobe and quiver..... It's time we all woke up and realized that being a great surfer doesn't make you a philosopher, the reason we surf is more encompassing that it just being a sport, sure....but stop preaching about it and just do it......the surfing and waves in this film are wonderful but the other 90% of the rubbish in the film make it unwatchable.

Flag as inappropriate

[26.01.2010] Posted by EdyE

Wow, I just tried to watch a second time and, yes, it was still nearly unbearable. My friends and I were so stoked to see this movie, by the end we were laughing in disbelief. The cinematography and surfing is very good but Rob...wow, really!!? I think this was trying to be an actual fiction movie with a "drifter" character (who has no manners, just wants to be alone, and hates the corporate world) but is actually a movie about the real, ungrateful, Machado with some sort of teenage angst being followed around by a film crew and helicopters. In this way, it really was insightful...

Flag as inappropriate

[29.01.2010] Posted by EPB

Sounds alot like the Prince and the Pauper, Poor Little Rich Kid, and every other 'it's tough being me, I'm rich and I just want to be like everyone else' temporary escape from being rich and famous. I saw a house down the street from Rob's advertised with a 25,000.00 a month mortgage payment. As for me, I lived the life in the movie but kept my journey to myself. Quit Billabong and never looked back, went overseas to southeast Asia, went to school there, lived on $265/ month income, and surfed perfect waves when not going to school. The difference is I didn't exploit my journey for monetary / fame / exploitive value.

Flag as inappropriate

[02.03.2010] Posted by DFY

so boring... staged... and only like 12 waves in the movie. taylor steel is a joke. barf. give someone with real talent that kind of money to make a surf film...

Flag as inappropriate

[14.05.2010] Posted by simon

real sorry to say this, but the movie sucks. the surfing is straight-A. but the film in it's entirety is best described with one word: staged. alternatives: pretentious, superficial, hypocritical. Reasons for this choice of adjectives are to be found in the comments above. (Helicopter-cam, C-movie-like storytelling, cameraman trying to make love to himself, uninspired "beautiful" shots that fully fail to be art, and so on) I never really understood wether this film is fully fictional or actually retelling a trip, that Machado did before. Only the second possibility would make the film bearable as you could keep saying to yourself: "OK, he appears to be cocky and there's a filmcrew right next to his isolated self, but maybe it just went down that way a couple of years earlier."

Flag as inappropriate

[14.07.2010] Posted by Ian

The worst part about this movie is its potential. I mean you have Rob Machado, a world-class surfer, who generally speaking everyone loves to watch. On the other hand, you have him surfing at one of the world's best surf spots, not to mention most beautiful areas. However, the moviemakers just tried too hard!!! If all you had was Rob Machado surfing for more than half the movie, it would be amazing! The soundtrack along with many quality shots would have made "The Drifter" a great surf flick, but the disgustingly corny script made the movie painful to watch. I believe that if the editor cut out all the scenes but those where Rob is surfing, the 15 minute movie would be 100x's better than what I just got done watching....

Flag as inappropriate

Name:

E-mail:

Rate this product: No Rating12345

Your comment: Enter the code shown:

COBIAN OAM SANDAL [27.Jan.2009] Category: Footwear

The Cobian OAM sandal brings the feeling of your tail grip out of the water and onto land. Made from On A Missions tail grip, these kickers will keep you treading light and sticking all your pavement maneuvers.

mesurf rating:

user rating:
RESIN8 SURFBOARDS [14.Jul.2009] Category: Surfboard

Resin8 Surfboards represents over five years of research and development utilizing state of the art methods of surfboard construction to build a stronger, lighter and faster shortboard without compromising performance. Resin8 surfboards use the latest in high grade epoxy resins, aerospace quality cl...

user rating:
ELEMENT SKY SCRAPER JACKET [29.Jun.2009] Category: Surf clothing

Element Skyscraper is a jacket with the works. With quilted sateen lining, removable fur trimmed hood, sleeve embroidery, multiple logo trim detail and garment enzyme wash it's got the lot while looking trick. It's time to step up.

user rating: