Road to Paloma

There's more to Conan than one might think. Well the Conan that did not succeed that is and you might not even have seen. Jason Mamoa is more than a little bit involved in this movie. Apart from being lead, he also directed this. Which means he really stands behind this story and wanted to tell it the way it is shown.

For someone multitasking, he's doing a pretty decent job. His character might have some flaws (and a lead character needs those), but the story itself does not really have them. It flows along nicely and is as spiritual a ride as you can get. Much better than another movie that came out recently, which was supposed to be a sort of sequel to "Easy Rider". I'm not a biker, but you can see what the quality of it is, with some very beautiful shots and the freedom it obviously gives you. If that is you cup of tea -> enjoy

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, but having seen the 7.4 rating on IMDb I decided to give it a shot. I am not disappointed, despite the rating being quite a bit lower now.

Even though the film is about a fugitive on the run, it does not feel like he is escaping. It feels he is aware of his limited time before facing the law, but it does not change who he is or how he behaves. He travels on his motorcycle, visits friends, helps out whom he can and ultimately is on a mission to spread his mother's ashes where she wished to rest. He joins together with a less perfect but still very likable man and they travel together. They are being pursued by two lawmen, one clearly conflicted and the other totally ruthless.

It's a very pleasant ride; we get to know the main hero, empathise with him and presumably are expected to fully agree with him dispensing justice. I won't get into whether we should or shouldn't agree, however the biggest complaint I have about this film is how much it shoves this rationalisation of vigilante justice in our face. The film could have been a lot more subtle and definitely could have hinted another side of the story. We would still sympathise with the protagonist, but through a more realistic understanding of his plight, rather than being fed a one-sided view.

I gave this film a 7 despite the above flaw. This is because this flaw is easy to spot, understand and ignore. Once you do that, the film is engaging and enjoyable.

Robert Wolf (Jason Momoa) is a native American from the Mojave reservation. He's wanted by the law after killing his mother's rapist. He is joined by unstable fellow rider Cash.

Jason Momoa is the star, the director, and also co-wrote the script. He has basically made a 70's biker movie, probably inspired by Easy Rider. It's not bad but I wouldn't call it great. It has some interesting moments but it doesn't have a real direction. In a way, that's the movie and the road trip. There are interesting sections like the bare knuckle fight and carrying the rape victim with flares. It does need to show a snippet of the inciting killing incident at the start of the movie. It's missing that and the movie struggles to get into gear at the beginning. If I had to dissect Momoa's abilities, he's a charismatic lead and his directing style is functional biker flick. There is a bit of art to his work but nothing exceptional. The writing is the one main aspect lacking and quite frankly, one can only guess at what he actually wrote for this movie. Next time, he should get a better writer to polish off his script.

As I sat in the movie theater watching Road to Paloma, Clint Eastwood came to mind. Just for a moment I thought he directed this film, however it is the directorial debut of Jason Momoa, who also co-wrote and starred in the film as Wolf. The performances are low-key, the visuals tell the story, not a lot of dialogue, wonderful use of music, and the movie is leisurely and laid-back. It is about family, love, redemption, brotherhood, and justice. And it is also has an "Easy Rider" vibe. The Cinematography by Brian Mendoza is to be noted. I was immersed in Wolf's journey. If you are looking for a shoot-em up action movie, this is not for you.

Robert Wolf is on the run and on a mission. along the way we laugh, play and cry with him. we get frustrated. we fall in love. we get scared and heartbroken. what a journey.

i was so impressed with this feature length debut from Pride of Gypsies. cinematography, mood, tone, cast, dialog all fit (though dialog was light). there was deeply felt emotion throughout, but balanced with much appreciated levity. Jason Momoa directed a well-rounded experience. under Momoa's direction, i have to say that Chris Browning (Schaeffer) and Michael Raymond-James (Irish) stole it. they were wonderful and so perfect in their roles. Chris Browning, well, i have only seen him play sleazy characters, so this was a treat to see a different side of him. Linden Chiles (Bob, may he RIP) and, of course, Momoa (who basically played himself) were great to watch. Robert Mollohan (Cash) was...well...you gotta see lol. wish there was more Wes Studi though.

i especially loved Brian Mendoza's cinematography. scenes by firelight, by morning light, by dusk and storm, by flare. i don't believe i have seen such brilliant use of natural light on earthy human beings since "Girlfight". i like the way he fills his shots with equal attention to foreground and background. this could easily have looked crowded, but in a movie with sparse dialog it was smart to keep the eye moving in almost every frame. there were some grainy moments that sort of added to the low-budget flavor of the piece. but then there were shots that looked like they would cost a fortune to recreate.

heartfelt, poignant, relevant...i recommend this one highly to those who care about good stories. if you keep producing this quality (or better), PoG you got me.