Following her 2022 directorial debut Continue, actress Nadine Crocker returns behind the camera for Desperation Road. Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Farris Smith, who also wrote the film’s screenplay, the southern noir thriller stars Mel Gibson, Garrett Hedlund, and Willa Fitzgerald.
“In a small Mississippi town, justice and the law are two very different things,” reads the official synopsis for the film. “Academy Award Winner Mel Gibson (Braveheart), Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy), and Willa Fitzgerald (Scream: The TV Series) star in a modern noir thriller based on the acclaimed novel by Michael Farris Smith about two lost souls tortured by the mistakes of their past and bound by a secret that keeps them running.”
The film opens in an intense manner with Fitzgerald’s character, Maben, being sexually assaulted by a police officer. This ends in a fatal manner after Maben gets ahold of the cop’s gun, and she’s then on the run from police for defending herself. Her attempts to escape with her young daughter end up with her crossing paths with Hedlund’s Russell, a man who is recently released from prison and is back in a small town that clearly holds grudges.
There are some meaningful twists and turns throughout the film, but Crocker isn’t afraid to let the narrative take its time to unfold. The film’s most impactful moments aren’t the bigger setpieces, but rather the smaller conversations and scenes that allow the characters to reflect on their lives. One of these is the exclusive clip that ComingSoon debuted that features Gibson, who plays Russell’s father, talking to his son about forgiveness. In a small town, it is hard to outrun your past, so it’s important to come to grips with it instead.
The character work from the main trio are definitely the strongest points of the film and Crocker allows the actors to really shine. The only underwhelming aspect comes in its final act, as the main antagonist, who is less evil and more gripping with trauma in a negative fashion, doesn’t get enough scenes to truly become overly sympathetic with viewers. It still works for the plot, just not quite as memorably as one would hope.
“We all experienced trauma in our lives and that trauma shapes who we are and who we become. That’s why, to me, no character is unlikeable,” said Crocker of the characters. “They’ve just been through terrible situations. So for me, even someone like Larry who should be someone that we don’t like — I love him. I feel for him. I understand his struggle. I understand the trauma he comes from. So you can kind of start to understand why some people do what they do. I guess all I’m ever trying to show is that we’re all battling our own experiences and our own trauma, and we all heal from trauma in a certain way.”
Desperation Road Review: The Final Verdict
Desperation Road does a great job of condensing the novel it is based on into a meaningful film that clocks in under two hours. Strong performances by Hedlund, Fitzgerald, and Gibson make the film worth your time. Rather than creating characters that are black or white, it relishes in the messy grey area defines humanity and is a more interesting piece of art because of it.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7.5 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Disclaimer: Our Desperation Road eview is based on a screener link provided by the publisher.
