Reservation Road (2007)

Incredible Performance by Mark Ruffalo; Not so much for the rest

As a father I found this movie almost difficult to watch at times due to its honest and raw portrayal of the loss of a child. Mark Ruffalo turns in a truly incrdible performance I thought and shows a whole new side of his acting that we haven't see in his other performances. The rest of the cast I wasn't as impressed with. Jennifer Connelly was either not given any direction or didn't have enough material to work with other than to look sad. Joaquin Phoenix I've enjoyed in his other roles but I didn't find him very convincing in this film. His dialogue and performance felt forced and unnatural. August 24, 2008

Few reservations regarding "Reservation Road"

From the director of the brilliant Hotel Rwanda comes a middle class nightmare that is acted with great restraint and respect for its topic.

The story focuses on a hit and run accident that leaves a child dead and two sets of parents facing loss and grief. This storyline isn't new by any means and Eastwood's Mystic River and Redford's Ordinary People are the best examples I can think of that deal with parents facing a great loss and a slew of terrible films on the Lifetime Channel also come to mind. This one is unique in that we are let into the mind of the offender to understand his reluctance to come forward. We also see, all too briefly, the excess use of the internet and how it can infiltrate any average home, let alone one filled with grief as the father who lost his son in this film would rather seek solace online than connect with his own wife who feels shut out.

The acting is first rate by Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly as the grieving parents as well as by Mark Ruffalo as the hit and run driver. In addition, the direction is unobtrusive and the storyline compelling, but the film does falter a bit in that it is overly long and rather predictable. There are also several plot contrivances that are extremely hard to swallow in this film.

This film is not for the impatient as it is slow moving, the cold-hearted who think we should just "move on" when a tragedy befalls us as the film focuses on people who can't just move on and MUST have closure, or those unable to view things from another's perspective, no matter how ugly that viewpoint may be as much of this film focuses on the parent who did the hit and run and the pain of guilt he feels. I had great sympathy for all in the situation involved in this film and while, I think, the director and writer did a good job getting us to see the side of the father who did the hit and run, one can't help but to say, "If he had just stopped . . ." All the reasons and excuses in the world should never stop us from doing the right human thing, but this film does carefully explore how we can go against our better instincts, and the heavy price we pay for doing so.

I can't recall who said the following quote, but it is perfect for this film: "There are no harder words in tongue or pen, except for these, it might have been." Had the hit and run driver just stopped, things might have had a better, if still tragic, resolution. August 17, 2008

One-Man Show/One-Note Song

Joaguin Phoenix convincingly portrays Ethan Learner, whose son is killed by a criminally negligent driver who flees the scene. Phoenix is an Everyman who is confused, outraged, and vengeful. He becomes obsessed with the thought that the driver will get away with it because the police are not working the case hard enough. He decides to investigate himself. He goes on the Internet seeking others who have been similarly victimized. There is nothing artificial or contrived about his performance.

The rest of the cast seems to follow directions well. They are all clearly competent actors. But there is a lack of conviction. Their performances seem forced.

The film held my interest, but I would not use words like "compelling" or "gripping" to describe it. It's basically a one-note song: a weak man tries to escape justice. August 8, 2008

Existential and engrossing thriller!

"Reservation road" is by far one of the most gripping and tense thrillers of the year. The previous similar movie that I keep in mind was the unforgettable classic of Claude Chabrol: "This man must die" .

A fateful night, an unpleasant and disgraced incident will join the lives of two well different families, and so the anger, despair and pain will involve the heart and minds of these uncomfortable parents. In this order of ideas, and after having lost the patience and faith in the judicial system the next step of this troubled father will be to go for legal advise, and so the destiny will gather the prey and hunter face to face.

All the cast was terrific but Jennifer Connelly steals the show . her forceful and demanding performance overpasses the well known limits of the used to become a true reference pattern.

Watch her for instance, at the moment her husband refers her about the incident of the fireflies and observe carefully the dramatic progression of her facial aspects; or the brief but intense dialogue with him at the moment she wants to give all the things of her beloved son.

So, you will have not only a vibrant and riveting thriller, but a first -class performance and a careful camera work all the way through, that will involve you from start to finish.

Absolutely recommended.



June 23, 2008

nothing new

Reservation Road. Where a child, Josh Learner, was killed in a hit-and-run. The story of the father Ethan (J. Phoenix), trying to get justice in his hands because the cops aren't finding who did it. So he hires a lawyer Dwight Arno (M. Ruffalo) to help him with his case.........

Nothing new here. That story has been done many many many times. However, the acting is superb, I really enjoyed Phoenix for once, and Mark Ruffalo is just great. Jennifer Connelly as Ethan's wife is perfect.

The script makes the events a little too "coincidental" for my taste. And the story was pretty predictable.
Still worth watching once.
June 4, 2008

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