Ticket Out

(2012) Ticket Out THRILLER

Co-associate producer, co-written and directed by Doug Lodato that has single mother Jocelyn (Alexandra Breckenridge) of two children, DJ (Colin Ford) and Mary Sue (Ciara Bond) go on the run from their physical abusive father Dennis (Billy Burke) as the law is on his side regarding sharing custody. With young Jocelyn's son DJ often needing insulin, and in hiding with the help of an underground movement led by Jim (Ray Liotta), with Jocelyn waiting for her ticket out- hence the title. I thought the ending of this movie really sucked, for which the idea was taken from an actual incident, but is fabricated for this feature.

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.

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

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.

It's not the worst movie I've ever seen. The whole concept of an "Underground Railroad" for abused women and children who the Laws of the Land have let down is unfortunately a believable and actual thing. This movie is a poor example of how that railroad works in comparison to others that I've seen. It does inform the audience that such a thing does exisit and that are real people who help the abused everyday at at huge personal sacrifice/risk. The one thing in this movie that wracked my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard is the little girl Mary Sue. I don't know the child actor's name but I hope I never see another movie with her in it.