Plot: A young father goes on the run for dealing drugs with his surfing gang, towing along his son who believes he’s on a magical holiday.

KBZ’s Take: Don’t expect an action-packed fugitive film with Bosch & Rockit as it’s much more of a Teen Coming-of-Age drama. And it’s a very good one at that.

The eldest Hemsworth brother – Luke – plays Bosch who is a father on the run with his son. The film explores the father and son dynamic between Bosch & Rockit and Rockit’s eventual realization of who his father is. It’s one of the better Fugitive films that focuses on a family bond when on the other side of the law.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/40sg7tb

Plot: After a pawn shop robbery goes wrong, two criminals take refuge at a remote farmhouse to let the heat die down and find something much more menacing.

KBZ’s Take: Fair warning that The Price We Pay is about fugitives but is a very violent and gory film. The first act focuses on the fleeing criminals and their eventual arrival at a desolate farmhouse. The second and third acts are much more horror-based as the fugitives slowly realize what they’ve stumbled into.

This is the second Fugitive-themed film that Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff have starred in together with The Motel Life (2012) being the first. In that first film, both Hirsch and Dorff were perfectly cast for their roles. However, in The Price We Pay, though Dorff is good as the sympathetic criminal, Hirsch’s performance doesn’t work as the psychotic criminal of the group. Had the roles been reversed, the film might have played better. It’s still a watchable subgenre film but expect more Splatter & Gore Horror than Fugitive Film elements.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3zzHcPz

Plot: Charismatic con man Jason Derek Brown becomes wanted by the FBI after hatching his most elaborate scheme yet.

KBZ’s Take: We’re going to start this off by saying to trust us that this film is much better than its opening act. Low production values and some questionable acting in the first 20-30 minutes of the film might have you reaching for the remote. But the film does get significantly better after the first act.

Though Ryan Philippe phones it in for his role as the agent in pursuit of the con artist and fugitive Jason Derek Brown (Tom Pelphrey), Pelphrey’s performance gets stronger as the film progresses. You don’t sympathize with his ongoing cons but rather wonder how far he’ll go scamming people around him – even loved ones. Paul Schneider and Shantel VanSanten are also very good in supporting roles as brother and sister of Brown.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3TRzyZY

Plot: A bank robber tries to turn himself in because he’s falling in love and wants to live an honest life…but when he realizes the Feds are more corrupt than him, he must fight back to clear his name.

KBZ’s Take: Honest Thief plays a lot like most other Neesom thrillers from the last 10-15 years. While the film is a bit predictable and doesn’t re-invent any themes of the subgenre, it’s still a decent thriller with some action-packed sequences. It has similar themes to his other films like Non-Stop (2014), The Commuter (2018) and The Marksman (2021). If you liked those films, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Honest Thief as well.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3nxHUK1

Plot: Two drug dealers on the lam seek refuge inside their mentally unstable friend’s mansion. But in order to stay, they have to participate in her elaborate, and increasingly dangerous, game of permanent make-believe.

KBZ’s Take: Like The Price We Pay, this film starts off about fugitives but soon transitions into a Psychological Horror film. Unlike The Price We Pay, Braid has some great direction, performances and a unique plot.

As for the plot, the less you know going in the better. It’s a film you likely won’t fully ‘get’ upon your first viewing. We’ll just say as the pieces of the puzzle come together towards the end, it’s a very powerful (and disturbing film). The film also focuses on three women – Petula (Imogen Waterhouse), Tilda (Sarah Hay) and Daphne (Madeline Brewer)  – who all give great performances in this film at the direction of Mitzi Peirone.

It’s definitely a film worth checking out and highly recommended.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/42Nt0Qb

Plot Self-proclaimed ethical hacker Mel Bandison’s life is turned upside down when she stops a data breach on a high-tech self-driving bus that also happens to shut down an international criminal network. She then becomes a target and is framed with a deepfake video that “shows” that she murders someone.

KBZ’s Take: The 1990’s gave us a wave of Techno Thrillers that often featured hackers exposing a conspiracy and soon on the run from the government and law enforcement. Sandra Bullock was the star of Speed (1994) and The Net (1995) which were two of the more popular films during this period of action-based Techno Thrillers.

The Takeover is very reminiscent of both films as it has a similar plot to The Net and features an out of control bus scene like in Speed. The film also focuses on hacking and technology though updated with current technological trends – theft of an individual’s data profile, facial recognition and so on.

While the film was panned for just being an updated version of these films, we don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Many younger viewers have likely not seen the 1990 films and there’s enough differentiation in the plot to keep it engaging. It’s worth giving the film a shot if you enjoy films about technology and hackers on the run.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.netflix.com/title/81488967

Plot: A gangster on the run sacrifices everything for his family and a woman he meets while on the lam.

KBZ’s Take: This Neo-Noir film might not be for everybody but fans of the subgenre shouldn’t miss it. The action-set pieces are sparse (but very memorable) and there are visual scenes and framing that will stay with you long after the film has ended. Director Diao Yinan takes common Fugitive film tropes and adds his own unique style to them. The closest comparison we can think of is how Michael Mann uses similar styling and framing methods to elevate a subgenre film – Thief (1981), Heat (1995) and Collateral (2004) as just a few examples.

Though this is a recent film, it’s relatively unknown within the subgenre. However, if you’re a fan of Neo-Noir or Films About Fugitives, it’s one film you shouldn’t miss.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/402SXJR

Plot: Slim and Queen’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls them over for a minor traffic violation. When the situation escalates, Slim takes the officer’s gun and shoots him in self-defense. Now labelled cop killers in the media, Slim and Queen feel that they have no choice but to go on the run and evade the law. When a video of the incident goes viral, the unwitting outlaws soon become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people all across the country.

KBZ’s Take: Having looked at the previous four decades of Fugitive films, we have noted the themes that have emerged during different periods of time. The 70’s involved anti-establishment and counterculture themes, the 80’s featured media’s fascination and exploitation of fugitives and the 90’s had violent yet likable fugitives. Queen & Slim is a subgenre film that incorporates many of these past themes but lives in the here and now with many of the pressing societal and political issues of the day.

Queen & Slim is a snapshot in time for future generations to look back on as police brutality took center stage in the nation during the George Floyd protests in 2020. While the film came out a year prior, it was prescient in highlighting many of the issues at the heart of the protests. Many past films in the subgenre have highlighted political issues of their day and Queen & Slim is no exception.

At its core, the film is much more a love story between two individuals that are suddenly thrust together and on the run. Like other great films of the subgenre, the characters and their development over time are at the forefront of the story. And that ultimately is what makes Queen & Slim one of the best subgenre films – the relationship between Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and their growing recognition of the role they’re playing in societal change.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/402KK8f

Plot: In the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity, Jesse Pinkman must come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future.

KBZ’s Take: El Camino is one of the best fugitive films of the last 5 years with one huge caveat – it is a much more effective film if you’re familiar with the Breaking Bad TV series. If you go into this film without knowing about Jesse Pinkman’s past or his relationship with Walter White, you’ll have a hard time following its major plot points.

As for the film, it’s a perfect coda to the amazing series and closes out the story of its second most important character.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://www.netflix.com/title/81211714

Plot: A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.

KBZ’s Take: In 2018, Ben Foster starred in two Films About Fugitives. Galveston (2018) features Foster as a terminally ill assassin on the run from his old boss while he plots his revenge. Leave No Trace (2018) also features Foster but as a father who lives off the grid with his daughter. While both films are very good and offer very different sub themes of the Fugitive Film subgenre, we had to go with Leave No Trace for this spot as it focuses on seldom seen medical and relationship themes in the subgenre.

Most films of the subgenre focus on criminals (or people erroneously accused of crimes) on the run from the law. Leave No Trace explores a different and more subtle track by focusing on the issues of PTSD and its effect on both an individual and family. Foster’s character is a fugitive from society by choice due to his condition. It’s this choice to shun civilization that’s at the heart of the film and how it affects the development of his daughter and her desire to live in society.

While the film does have some typical fugitive film tropes with social services and the authorities becoming aware of Foster and his daughter, it’s much more of a grounded film about a father’s bond with his daughter and her difficulty in coming to terms with his condition and her desires to live a normal life. It’s not only one of the best films of the subgenre but also one of the best films of the last five years.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/40P0uvP