Review: With echoes of Boyle, 'Jet Trash' is a stylish thriller in its own right

By Kimber Myers

April 26, 2018 1:30 PM PT

In its visual approach alone — quick cuts, bold color and slow motion — Charles Henri Belleville’s directorial debut would remind audiences of Danny Boyle’s work as a whole. But “Jet Trash” takes the hero worship a step further, echoing the plot and themes of Boyle’s “The Beach,” with a change in setting. It wears its influences on its tattooed sleeve, but this drug-fueled film is still an entertaining watch filled with bold style.

It’s initially unclear why Lee (Robert Sheehan) and Sol (Osy Ikhile) have left the U.K. for the sunny shores of Goa, but it’s no simple holiday. Their past in London haunts them in India, with flashbacks filling in the blanks of what caused the friends to flee. But when Vix (Sofia Boutella) shows up to harsh their mellow, they worry that their actions have followed them east.

Sheehan and Ikhile turn in solid work, differentiating how the friends react in the face of danger, but the movie can’t help but shift its focus to Boutella every time she’s on screen. She’s largely been known as an action heroine from previous roles in “Star Trek: Beyond” and “The Mummy,” but she gets to do more dramatic work here.

Manic energy courses through “Jet Trash,” acting at once as a travel ad for the Indian beaches and a cautionary tale against what could happen if you misbehave there.

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