As the summer film season comes to a close, one more action-packed film will manage to keep the attention of moviegoers. “Getaway,” directed by Courtney Solomon and starring Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez, finds itself stuck in a story as clumsy and chaotic as the chase scenes the movie so prominently displays. While the action scenes are intense and well-edited, the story never really catches up, and eventually the car chase scenes become repetitive to the point that they are almost boring.

Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke) is a former pro-racer, whose falling out resulted in a failed career, shady back dealings and relocating abroad with his wife. The film opens with a chase scene that cuts back and forth between the chase itself and the events that led up to it. Included in these flashbacks are his wife being kidnapped, his untimely discovery of it, an unknown voice calling his phone, and his stealing of a Ford Shelby covered completely with small surveillance cameras. As the story develops, we’re introduced to another character, the unnamed “Kid”, played by Selena Gomez, who has more of a pivotal role than one might think.

While the story is mostly original (not a remake of 1972’s “The Getaway,” as it was originally reported), it heavily draws on clichés and tropes of other kidnapping and car chase films, such as “Taken,” “Speed” or “The Fast and The Furious series.” Its poor attempts at humor and one-liners fail to draw you in, and every non-action scene (despite revealing plot) leaves you wanting more. Ethan Hawke delivers as much as one would expect from such a seasoned actor, and Selena Gomez does well in playing a more dominant character than she has previously, though she doesn’t really stand out in any particular way. Jon Voight plays the central “villain” of the film, though his character’s intentions are thoroughly obscure even as the credits roll.

“Getaway” is not a great film, but it’s one that will keep you interested, if for the car chase scenes alone, which don’t use any CGI and assisted uniquely with the visible mounted cameras. The film wraps up rather clumsily plot wise and there are many unanswered questions, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is refreshing. Car chases and explosions aplenty, “Getaway” won’t grab you and keep you hooked, but you won’t dislike it either.

“Getaway” is now playing.

-Shaun Chaudhry