As much as I enjoyed The Rover, you can't really expect a lot from the plot and narrative. It's very dry and simple. But the acting was the real reason why this movie was so good in my opinion. I thought Robert Pattinson's performance was the best as well as Guy Pearce.
A majority of critics agreed with you, praising the performances and direction:
I'm not going to dwell on how Pattinson has evolved and impressed recently in every review, but since David Cronenberg yanked him into the adult film world with Cosmopolis, his performances have strengthened, his presence become palpable and the sheer pleasure of watching him adorn the big screen has increased beyond expectation.
His Rey is a compelling creature to observe with his nervousness, his tics
and his, initially at least, simpleton aura. Like Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Pattinson inhabits the runt of the litter utterly but there is no hint of pastiche here and there is nothing much to smile about. Rey's character arc is shallow, unlike the depth of Pattinson's performance, but his impact is lasting.
The Rover is not a feet on the table, beer in the hand Friday night slob film, but an experience of muted hues, expansive, dusty vistas and rhythmic score that makes for a far more intensely satisfying film experience than Mad Max could hope to be. Although, come summer 2015 and Mad Max: Fury Road may prompt a reassessment. For now, though, The Rover is my film of the month. Little seen, thoroughly satisfying.
From Fashcam.com -- Great Films the Awards Missed... and he selects The Rover:
...And while my choice for the best film of the year hasn’t appeared on many reviewers’ lists, and received only a very short run in theaters, I feel a critical responsibility to bring this minor masterpiece to greater attention. The Rover, directed by David Michôd, is one of the most ambitious, well-crafted and compelling films I have seen. Michôd, whose debut film, the Australian kitchen-sink gangster saga, Animal Kingdom (2010) galvanized cinephiles and critics everywhere, here ventures forth in an even more experimental direction, though one no less rooted in genre.
If Michelangelo Antonioni had directed Mad Max from a script by Cormac McCarthy, it might have looked something like The Rover. And if that isn’t a searing endorsement, I don’t know what is. This is one of my favourite films of this past year and it deserves extensive analysis.
The greatest praise I can shower on The Rover is that it invites us as viewers to pay attention, and moreover to pay attention to how we pay attention to films. Critics who condemned the film for its simple plotline are wide of the mark. Simplicity does not mean simplistic, and the film’s nominal plot is a frame for some of the most ambitious experiments in characterization, cinematic rhythm and genre revisionism in recent years...
...The film is essentially an extended chase, but the motives behind his relentless pursuit to regain his vehicle aren’t found till much later. Along the way he picks up Rey, the brother of one of the car robbers, a seeming dullard, played by Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame. Rey is first presented as Eric’s hostage, ransom for the return of his car but gradually the two begin to carve a partnership necessary to their mutual survival in this uncertain and violent landscape.
Rey reveals he and his brother came to Australia from the States to seek mining work, suggesting that some basic industries may still be operative. When Rey later displays the ability to speak Mandarin, we must reassess our opinion about both him and the geopolitics of this world. The part is a breakthrough performance for the actor who brandishes a convincing Southern accent and reveals a depth of emotion in what is one of the most skilfully interiorized and physically nuanced performances of the year, and if the film had been seen by more people, certainly merits awards nominations....
http://fashcam.com/great-films-the-awards-missed-david-michods-the-rover-starring-guy-pearce-and-robert-pattinson/
The Rover
Like a more brutal Mad Max, David Michod’s The Rover is a grueling tale of vengeance in a desolate Australia. Eric (Guy Pearce) is a loner whose car gets stolen by a gang of thugs and subsequently sets out to retrieve his car and exact revenge with the help of one of the criminals’ brothers (Robert Pattinson).
Pearce wears absolutely unhinged intensity well a delivers arguably his best performance to date, always simmering with rage; Pearce makes Eric less a man and more just another deadly creature that is waiting for an excuse to kill in the Outback. Michod matches Pearce’s commitment and delivers a sharp and thrilling feature that rewards the viewer with a taste for subtly slick editing and a hard stomach.
http://www.soundonsight.org/video-on-demand-five-great-new-releases-you-can-now-watch/
Correct.
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