Desperation Road

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.

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.

Struggling single mom Maben (Willa Fitzgerald) and her young daughter Annalee return to their home town in the deep south. She tries prostitution at the nearby truck stop when she's picked up by a sheriff deputy. The deputy rapes her and calls for his friends. She manages to steal his gun and shoot him dead. Meanwhile, Russell (Garrett Hedlund) is released from prison and goes home to his father Mitchell (Mel Gibson).

I hate that one giant coincidence in the middle of this movie. It could be lessen if he's the one who spots her first. I do love the gritty southern noir style atmosphere. The actors do good work. I'm even fine with Mel in this one. Ryan Hurst is impressively unhinged. The movie is a bit too long at almost two hours and it's stretched too far after the climax. This is very good except for those two issues.

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.

Very good film. Primary themes include the challenges of redemption and forgiveness. Outstanding performances by Willa Fitzgerald, Garrett Hedlund, and Ryan Hurst. Some excellent lines and monologues, surely taken right from the book. Those who are saying it is too slow were not connecting with the emotional tension of the characters, because that tension is intense throughout. These are people who are now (or were previously) broken by mistakes (theirs and others) and by their own personal demons, but who are striving to redeem and overcome.

There are some minor plot issues along the lines of too much coincidence or convenience to bring characters together and push forward the plot. But believe me, most movies have much worse flaws. This one is worth watching.