Thunder Road

Having seen Jim Cummings' The Wolf of Snow Hollow only recently which left me super impressed, I figured I might as well check out his breakthrough feature. And now that I've seen it, I have to say that he is undoubtedly one of the most exciting & promising talents working in the industry today. And Thunder Road is a brilliant showcase of his prowess as a writer, director & actor.

Written, directed, composed & co-edited by Cummings who also plays the lead in this picture, this feature film serves as an extension of his 2016 short of the same name and opens with an unbroken 12-mins long scene of a police officer giving a eulogy for his mother which immediately sets the mood & tone of the rest of the story which follows our protagonist as he suffers a personal meltdown.

The real highlight of this film is the way it balances & blends elements of flat-out comedy & poignant drama in the same setup, at times in the same exact moment. It's not an easy thing to pull off, for it looks rather absurd when it goes wrong but Cummings not only makes it all work perfectly, he truly revels in those scenes. His live wire input in front of the camera is just as impressive as his solid effort behind it.

Overall, Thunder Road is a sharp, slick & side-splitting indie that brims with heart & honesty, and makes for an awkward yet effective blend of heartbreak & hilarity. Led by Jim Cummings' superb direction, smart writing & spectacular performance and also assisted by its breezy pace, fluid camerawork & neat editing, the film is a roller-coaster ride that's simultaneously amusing & heartrending, and is one indie gem you should definitely check out.

THUNDER ROAD begins at a funeral. Actor/director/writer Jim Cummings plays Officer Jim, a cop who comes to the front of the church to eulogize his mother. This scene is one of the most amazing and unexpected scenes I've ever watched. In a few minutes, Officer Jim veers wildy from moments of light humor while recollecting his mom, to unstoppable tears, to deeply inappropriate dancing to, frankly, a total, emotional breakdown unlike any you've seen. This guy just looses his cool, but in a way that feels unique and organic. He's all over the place, and we laugh and then we're just appalled for him. It feels real and specific and is very moving and yet uncomfortably laughable at the same time. I've not seen anything quite like it. (Apparently, this scene was originally a short film Cummings made and used to scrounge up enough funding to stretch this character's experiences into a feature film.)

The scene is probably the best thing in the movie, as we move out of the church and spend more time with Jim and, in particular, his young daughter. The girl's mother is a mess...Jim cares for her and is deeply angry at her at the same time. In fact, Jim is subject to fits of rage. He is clearly carrying around a lot of grief and confusion, and he doesn't really have an outlet or anyone to "talk to" about it. He's a proud man who doesn't want to admit he's hurting. His temper is sometimes comical and sometimes terrifying. He is, in short, a mess. But you've never seen a character quite like this or a mess quite like it either. Cummings, who is not necessarily the most gifted actor ever, has a quality about him that I've not really seen in another "star." We can laugh with him and at him, and be infuriated by him yet root for him deeply. His brand of "messed-up-ness" is singular and we feel like we're seeing a real person break down.

But, despite the mess that Jim has become, the result of the movie (and it's string of odd incidents) is a feeling of hope and uplift. Life is never going to be perfect, far from it...but perhaps Jim learns to appreciate the little joys and victories it brings. We suspect he'll always be a bit of a mess, but we also see that he might be pulling his act together at least a little.

The film will be off-putting to some. It's low budget, and that often shows. It swings wildly in tone, often within scenes. It's tough to describe the emotional impact (is it a comedy with some drama, or a drama with some comedy, or is it even a drama that doesn't realize how silly much of it is?). Cummings has made one other film (THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW) that also plays around with similar themes of anger and inchoate reaching for manly self-improvement. If you can manage it, I'd suggest a mini-film festival, with THUNDER ROAD first and then SNOW HOLLOW. While the film(s) are far from perfect, the best thing I can say is that I still can't wait to see what Cummings comes up with next. Unique!

(PS: If you have the blu ray, watch the extras about how the film was funded. Crazy stuff!)

Saw this a Hell's Half Mile Film fest in Bay City, Michigan and Jim Cummings wrote, directed and gave a stunning lead performance in this festival gem, which I believe is his first full feature after bouncing around doing short films and a little TV work. He has the acting chops to pull off his own written vision of this unstable police officer who can slip from calm, deranged and sorrowful multiple times within one scene. Impressive for he must do this most if not all of this 90 minute film carrying off this complicated character through losing his mother, wife in divorce, his job and every thing he holds dear as he sinks into despair. I hope this propels his movie making skills to new wide release films in the future.

In Thunder Road, director Jim Cummings carves an almost perfect study of a character going through an emotional breakdown after the death of his mother. So much that together with Cummings's superb performance and a somber soundtrack that drives melancholy home, it is perhaps the very reason why the dark comedy drama is one of the best films to come out in 2018. There's so much to look and think about in Thunder Road, in some scenes, I just could not feel I had a bowl of popcorn in my hands. It's splendid and you need to watch it right now. TN.

If you have read the other reviews, then you will know that this movie is being judged for all the wrong reasons. Jim Cummings put his heart and soul into this film and because it is listed as a comedy and a drama, some have decided to deride this film because of it. It is what most would call a Black Comedy. I saw the official trailer for it, and anyone that saw the trailer would know that this is more drama/tragedy with dark comedic elements, but there are pedants here in internet land that wish to harp on about this film not being properly categorized. Get over it and watch the movie, because it is brilliant! If you have ever experienced loss, then you will connect to the main character's myriad emotions. Jim Cummings does an excellent job as the beleaguered protagonist, and the film moves along at a stride that fits his circumstance, culminating in a third act that is a bit surprising, but fitting. I also loved Macon Blair (Blue Ruin), as Crystal's teacher. Independent films are not for everybody, and many of them are poorly executed, cast, or directed, but Thunder Road is the reason why I watch them, because, otherwise, all we would be presented with are big studio, unoriginal bombastic gunfight and explosion filled sensory overload. I like those movies too, but sometimes, it is a treasure to see a finely crafted and emotional character study.