Desperation Road

Garrett Hedlund- Russell - After being released from prison, Russel reconnects with his family and friend. He struggles making peace with his past and the loss of his mother while incarcerated. Garrett plays this character with a somber and brooding attitude, in a a low timbre. I think Garrett does a great job making Russel feel real relatable.

Willa Fitzgerald - Maben- Maben struggles to make a life for herself and her daughter Analee. Willa Fitzgerald is the stand out star of this film for me. From the moment she appears on screen, I was glued to her performance. Willa brought such realism to Maben. I could feel her pain, joy, and resilience. Definitely a diamond in the rough.

Mel Gibson- Mitchell- Russels father. Mel Gibson is very much a supporting character in this movie, despite being on the cover of the DVD. Mitchel is there to support his son, and help where he can. He feels like a plot device to help move things forward. Honestly, Mel could have been replaced by any older actor and the effect would have been the same.

Thought this was going to be more action-oriented, but its more of a noir character piece. The visuals were really well done, shots framed nicely. Shot in 16 days! Which is crazy.

Main characters don't meet until 52 mins in (out of 1hr52 min runtime), which is waaaay too late. It felt like two separate films at times. It took even longer to get background info on them.

Theres a lot of extra content in the movie that seems very out of place. Theres a scene of Russels past partner, who was not mentioned before and we don't see again.

Then we have the character of Larry, the main antagonist. Usually this kind of role is one-dimensional, a way to create conflict. But instead, a large chunk of this film is the Larry Show. We see his marital problems, drinking problems, fathering problems, etc. He even gets a big finale. I like that they were trying to make him more rounded, but it was all too much. Felt like we learned more about him than the two leads!

This all hurt the pacing of the film and left it feeling overly long. Without these, the viewer could focus more on the intertwining stories of Maben and Russel. It could have been more enjoyable to piece together their mysteries.

It feels like we are piecing together the mystery, a very Noir plot. Every action felt significant. There was a decent amount of tension. And the conclusion felt satisfying. You just have to fight through all the extra stuff to get there.

Desperation Road is a heavy tale of the human struggle and redemption. Russel and Maben feel as if they are connected by an invisible thread. I enjoyed seeing how the film laid out their journeys, with the exception of the odd side character tales. I give Desperation Road, a staunch 6.5/10.

-GremlinLord615 - Video version on YT.

I was surprised, as this one flew under the radar (at least for me) but I really enjoyed this flick.

It's slow burn of a movie with a decent grounded story and good directing. Excellent acting performances all around,

The cast offers excellent performances all around.

Willa Ford was very good at portraying the "damaged" mother. I wasn't familiar with Garrett Hedlund but he was excellent as the quite and remorseful antagonist.

I love Ryan Hurst since Remember the titans and Sons of Anarchy and he doesn't disappoint here Mel Gibson is good as the father and even the little girl is excellent and doesn't take you out of the movie (like it happens a lot).

I really recommend it if you want to experience an unassuming movie that punches above it's weight.

The good: real fine quality actors who do carry this story about a young poor couple (she a prostitue, he an ex-prisoner) struggling to make their marriage work, with a young daughter caught in between all the upheaval that a life with a mother as a prostitute brings with it.

Kinda bleak and somewhat sad and depressing as well, but simultaneously a real gritty life portrait of two young lovers struggling to get by.

Any bad? Beware that Mel Gibson only has got a small supporting role as a father for a few minutes. So this is definitely NOT a Mel Gibson movie. The other actors are fine though, so no problem with that, but...

However good the actors are, this drama fails to become truly gripping. It's more of a bleak and slowburning portrait than a gripping drama. I was missing some spark and punch...

But that's about my only gripe I can think of, besides the soundtrack being a bit too obtrusive and present all the time as if we as viewers dont know WHEN a scene is dramatic without this bombastic soundscore droning on constantly in the background.

Not great, but certainly not bad at all either. A gritty and bleak portrait of a young couple struggling with life, probably best suited for the more patient art house movie fans.

Clint Eastwood for me is the master of drama. But I have this feeling that Mel Gibson will soon be taking the baton from him. He has been delivering some really amazing pictures. This was so beautiful. The story was adorable. The acting was great. The cinematography was ok. I honestly don't have anything to complain about.

It sure baffles me that this movie has such a low rating. I don't know what else anyone would want to see in this, that would lead them to give it anything less than 6.

Alot of times I had to stop myself from shredding tears. That should tell you how invested I was with this one.

If you love drama, twisted love story, fate, then this movie is for you.

Sometimes when you've lost everything, you have nowhere to go but up. Other times when you've lost everything, you just want to get to the next day. This film is deep. Two people from different lives that end up intersecting in the depths of bad times. The story telling is natural, pulls you in. It's hard to find the bad guy because everyone is hurting. Regret, attempts toward redemption, the support of family because they truly love you. Lots of stages of life shown here. Lots of coping with poor choices and attempts to find a new way. Attempts to reconcile wherever you are right now. This film has some deep feelings and heartfelt dialog mixed in with some gritty action. Great acting, excellent directing, and just the right amount of musical score. A good film that should be given a chance.