Ticket Out

Some actors are just past their prime. The ingredients are their... just not developed properly. A rewrite could do wonders. The child girl actor was great... very rarely does a child actor get me to dislike them so much.

I was hoping I would get some drama, anxiety...I thought I would be mesmerized by the script, which sounded nice to me, while reading the back of the DVD. Well, I didn't get any of this. The movie is OK, I didn't waste my time watching it, but definitely it could have been better. It lacks some resolution, you end up wishing it was 10-15 longer. Some of the facts exposed are not quite clear (though you can get some ideas) by the horrible script. They tried to make a thriller, they tried to make our heart jump at some scenes. Well, they almost succeed. I have to say that I like the idea, it was just not well executed. Some of the viewers might watch the movie and get angry just because they wish to see more, to understand the situation better, and truly happened with the characters.

No pun intended - if you are a fan of Ray Liotta, I do not have to convince you to watch this. It should be a given. And his role is ... well it may not be the typical stuff you may expect of him. That is because you have an over the top baddie already in this - so there is nuance with him to say the least.

That said, it still is quite cliche ... and the story is overall predictable ... I would not rate or criticize the actors on their acting skills ... it begins with a woman finally deciding to take action (in her own hands) ... of course that means that she will be on the run ... now morally speaking it should be quite clear who you should root for ... still being right and people knowing you are in the right ... two different things. Seen worse movies, but also way better movies of course. Not a must watch unless as stated above you are a big fan.

An American mother (Alexandra Breckenridge) takes her young son & daughter and flees her abusive ex, who has visitation rights (Billy Burke). As she travels from east to west in January, she is helped by a mysterious man involved in some kind of escape network (Liotta).

"Ticket Out" (2012) is an entertaining inter-state chase flick with top-of-the-line locations and quality winter ambiance, not to mention a couple of unexpected (but welcome) shoot-outs. Alexandra is a winsome protagonist and Burke makes for a quality villain while Ray's character is charismatic, but enigmatic.

The flick explores the complexities of parental rights and what's good for the children, as well as the moral conflict between doing what your profession or the legal system demands and what you know is right in your heart.

Despite its release date, the film was shot from December 14, 2008, to March 14, 2009.

It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Iowa (Des Moines, Newton, Indianola, Prairie City and Adel); Badlands, South Dakota; Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Grand Tetons, Wyoming.

GRADE: B.

If you like Ray Liotta you will like this movie. Good Saturday night flick.