How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023)

Daniel Goldhaber's eco thriller comes at a perfect time for climate activists, entering a world where this is at the forefront of the general public's minds. Partly inspired by Andreas Malm's radical eco-activist manifesto of the same title, we meet a group of young activists who have come together through various different means and don't know each other a great deal; and, you guessed it, plan to blow up a pipeline.

There's no doubting the influence of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) here, each individual gets their own backstory at dramatic moments as we find out why and how each of them has got to this moment. Most of the actors are relatively new to the big screen, although you might recognise Sasha Lane from Andrea Arnold's impressive American Honey (2016), and all of them do their jobs fairly well; you certainly believe in their frustration and seeming hopelessness, but the problem is you fail to grasp any connection with them, for the majority of the film they simply come across as irritating.

That's not to say How To Blow Up a Pipeline isn't gripping at times, but Goldhaber's placement of the backstories wrenches you away from the tension of the moment, and by the time you get back to the gasp inducing second of potential carnage, the built up strain has dissipated and you're frequently shrugging your shoulders at the completion of a flash back.

However, Goldhaber has received plenty of positivity for the film, and there will be plenty who will relate to these characters and their stories, not to mention the message of the film itself. How To Blow Up a Pipeline is certainly not an insufficient calling card for Goldhaber (it's his second full length feature after 2018's Cam), it's a well-made and well put together thriller that has all the right elements in place, just not necessarily in the right order, or the right audience member in this case. 6.2/10