A wayward school bus driver and a dedicated school teacher battle to save 22 children from a terrifying inferno.

‘The Lost Bus’ is a survival drama about one of California’s deadliest wildfires, the 2018 Camp Fire, released on Apple TV but with a limited cinema release here in the UK – something I’m grateful for as this demands to be seen on a big screen. Focusing on a school bus driver who has to navigate the carnage to get a class of schoolchildren to safety, it is a suspenseful, gripping drama directed by a man who is no stranger to bringing intensity to the screen in Paul Greengrass. I thought it was an excellent movie and continues a terrific run at the cinema following on from ‘Islands’ and ‘One Battle After Another’.

‘The Lost Bus’ stars Matthew McConaughey in the central role as Kevin McKay, a relatively new bus driver who is back in the area where he grew up due to a family situation. He’s struggling with his work and clashes with his boss (Ashlie Atkinson), while at home he is looking after his sick mother and has a difficult relationship with his son (played by McConaughey’s real life mother and son). Yet when the evacuation call goes out due to the increasingly life threatening fires, he is the only man in the vicinity of a school with around 20 children and a teacher who need escorted to safety. The first part of the film is all about the setup, both in respect of introducing McKay and his life situation, and depicting the mounting danger that we know is going to get worse and worse. It’s perfectly laid out, introduces all we need to know, and really sets the scene for the thrilling drama that unfolds once McKay has picked up the children.

On the bus with McKay is teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) and much of the film from this point is seen from their vantage point as they scramble around to find the best route away from danger in an increasingly worsening situation where the roads are gridlocked and the firefighters are struggling to get the fires under control. Aside from several detours to the firefighters HQ, we’re with Kevin and Mary as they try to keep the children calm and I was utterly engrossed from start to finish. From a technical perspective, the film is visually stunning and it feels terrifyingly urgent and realistic, with McConaughey and Ferrera adding the emotive core that compliments the action. I thought ‘The Lost Bus’ was a superb disaster movie, brilliantly directed by Greengrass and it’s just a shame many won’t get the chance to see it where it belongs, on the biggest screen possible.

Rating: 5/5

Directed By: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez and Ashlie Atkinson

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt21103218/