Redemption Road (2011)

The first hour was boreville. I only watched it because Luke Perry was in it and it was fun to see him in a Texan bad dude role. Things started picking up towards the end, and even though the film's tedious pace and low talking rhythm frustrated any enjoyment out of me, the movie managed to still jerk some metaphorical tears out of me, despite my protests at the notion of "giving in" to a movie who's life lesson was as overt as a special edition of Saved By The Bell. The film was so preachy, they literally ended with a church choir. The actors played their roles well, and it's no wonder how the movie managed to secure such talent for a excitement-less film: Actors love taking on pet projects once in a while to teach a lesson that is near and dear to their hearts and I'm sure they all have someone in their life that they know who are victims of alcohol abuse. So, the writer writes his script and it's an easy sell. But it didn't translate well because the message was way too obvious. It's a tough balance to strike, because if the lesson isn't too obvious, the lesson won't be received, but here the film strikes the opposite fate. I'd like my 90 minutes back, thank you. And I could use a drink.

After I watched the trailers, I knew I had to see this movie. I had not yet seen a Mario Van Peebles directed movie I liked until now. It helped that Michael Clarke Duncan, who has 90 movies under his belt, has a face and build that gets immediate recognition (Oscar nominated for supporting role in The Green Mile), was the co-star to Morgan Simpson. Duncan delivers a good performance. Also helpful was the supporting role by Tom Skerritt who has 150 movies under his belt and has equal face recognition. As for Morgan Simpson, who has the lead in this movie, he was completely unknown to me but I was sold on his performance. He wrote the story so he had the benefit of knowing exactly what his character was suppose to feel and why.The story has a few weak spots but they don't deter the viewer from keeping focused on all the good points. To use the film's own expression, Duncan delivers some fortune cookie wisdom, but it is no less valuable wisdom as far as I'm concerned. Even the music delivers wisdom to those who pay attention. The four IMDb users who wrote reviews (there were only 4 before mine) gave the movie pretty good ratings and their reviews all have one thing in common which I wholeheartedly agree with: The music in the movie is really good, unless you hate the blues and country styles (especially the blues). The story has in the first 75% to 80% of the movie a well planned set-up for a surprise you don't see coming and which may bring tears to some viewers with kinder hearts; one other fellow reviewer admitted experiencing just that. Thankfully, Skerritt's character made a point in the movie that you need to cry sometimes to purge the sadness that will otherwise weigh you down…and it feels better after. We all know that to be true.If you consider yourself a movie lover or one that has discriminating taste, I hesitate not in recommending it.

I really enjoyed this movie!! A great story with twist and turns, great blues and country music,characters with depth and great cinematography!!!The chemistry between all the characters including Michael Clarke Duncan,Morgan Simpson,Tom Skerritt and Kiele Sanchez was amazing too!!! Mario Van Peebles' directing lead this film through a journey that will inspire you and cause you to take a piece of it home with you. Luke Perry and Taryn Manning also put in great performances. The movie moves along at a pace that grabs your attention and you will not let go or want to look away. A must see for great entertainment,yet a story that will stick with you too!!!!

The gritty parts didn't pull any punches...this would be a good movie for recovering addicts. Many movies show the characters drinking heavily, but few show the consequences as vividly as in the beginning scenes. The character of Jefferson Bailey was flawed and almost disgusting, but his end of the road status was necessary to propel the plot forward. Maybe the story was too neatly tied together(finding someone and something important at the pawn shop)but I liked the characters enough to go along with the plot. I cried at the end. I cared about the characters, wanted them to overcome their pain and grow. The music was great, sets seemed like places I've been and it was good to see Michael Clarke Duncan, along with Tom Skerritt and the large cast of newer or unknown actors.