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With: Garrett Hedlund, Willa Fitzgerald, Mel Gibson, Ryan Hurst, Shiloh Fernandez, Kat Foster, Ella Thomas, Woody McClain, Michael Aaron Milligan, Valerie Jane Parker, Pyper Braun, Paulina Gálvez, Katy Bodenhamer, Brady Gentry, Bonita Elery, Frank Blake, Mike Seely, Jennifer Monce, Kyle Rankin
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Written by: Michael Farris Smith
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Directed by: Nadine Crocker
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MPAA Rating: R for some violence, sexual assault, language throughout, brief sexuality and nudity
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Running Time: 112
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Date: 10/06/2023
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Tragic Number
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
What could have been another run-of-the-mill thriller is elevated by a slow, sure touch, crafting the story, spending luxurious amounts of time on building character, and establishing sense of place.
Maben (Willa Fitzgerald) is an unhoused single mother, trying to survive with her young daughter Annalee (Pyper Braun). One night, she tries to make some money by selling herself to a trucker, but a police officer catches her. He drives her to a remote location and rapes her, later calling some buddies to come join him. She finds a gun, shoots him, and flees the scene.
Meanwhile, Russell (Garrett Hedlund) is released from prison, met immediately by brothers Larry (Ryan Hurst) and Walt (Michael Aaron Milligan), who beat him up. It's not long before a desperate Maben randomly hijacks Russell, making him drive her out of town. But instead he decides to help her, hiding her at his father Mitchell's (Mel Gibson) place.
Meanwhile, Russell's old pal, police officer Boyd (Woody McClain), is trying to solve the case of the murdered cop. And there are secrets yet to be revealed.
With her second feature Desperation Road, director Nadine Crocker gives plenty of space to the characters, ensuring that their motivations are based in something genuine. She also withholds crucial information until it matters, keeping matters intriguing.
This even extends to the villainous Larry character, whose sole job is to torment Russell. He gets a few moments to demonstrate that he's a man operating mainly out of grief, which has led him to drinking, and to becoming estranged from his son.
Eventually characters must make decisions based on forgiveness, and it all feels genuine. That is, until the movie goes a little too far in hammering down a pat ending that, for all its attempts at wistful poetry, feels far more calculated than the drama that came before.
Nevertheless, Desperation Road gets bonus points for its smart, careful characterizations and strong storytelling.
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