RESERVATION ROAD

Starring:
Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly, Mark Ruffalo, Mira Sorvino, Eddie Alderson, Gary Kohn and Elle Fanning

Director:
Terry George

Running Time:
102 mins

"You left him to die"

After watching their son Josh play in an outdoor concert by the lake, Ethan (Phoenix) takes family home. Since the divorce, Dwight (Ruffalo) only has his son Lucas (Alderson) on the weekend but the Red Sox game the pair were enjoying had gone into extra innings and his ex-wife Ruth (Sorvino) was threatening a return to court if he was late again. As Dwight rushed to get Lucas home, Ethan and his family stop for a rest room break but his son decides to let the fireflies his daughter Emma (Fanning) had caught by the lake go into the bushes near the road. As he lets them go, Dwight comes speeding around the corner, hitting the child but instead of stopping, he drives on, hoping and praying that nothing has happen. With his son lying dead in the road, Ethan and his wife Grace (Connelly) are inconsolable but will Dwight do the right thing and will the family find justice?

After gaining Oscar attention for his last film 'Hotel Rwanda', writer/director Terry George takes a look at a family trauma, looking at the victims and the perpetrator but can this have as much an impact as his last movie?

Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, 'Reservation Road' is the story of two men falling apart after a fatal hit and run. One has lost everything and become consumed by finding justice for the death of his boy. The other is consumed by guilt and fear over what he has done, not knowing who to tell or whether to give himself in. How this affects each family, is the basis of the movie but co-writers Terry George and John Burnham Schwartz have transformed it into a simple revenge thriller that brings nothing new to the genre.

Losing a loved one to a hit and run, when the police don't have any leads in finding the perpetrator can drive someone to seeking them out themselves. The theme of the public having to take the law into their own hands has been a Hollywood trait for many a year. Either an ineffective, corrupt or over worked police force have given up on the case or are unable to find any leads means that the victim has to solve the case on their own. When the story is set in the US, this usually ends in violence with even the most educated person heading towards a weapon to in act bloody revenge. The hopes are higher for 'Reservation Road' but unfortunately they are unfounded.

When 'Hotel Rwanda' gained its much-deserved plaudits, director Terry George had the ability to draw in a top-notch cast and for 'Reservation Road' he certainly did so. Leading the line are Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo as Ethan and Dwight, one playing a man driven to find justice for his son, the other hiding from the law in plain sight but dying on the inside. Both try to throw themselves into their roles, but it is the cliched source material that lets them down. The same can be said for Jennifer Connelly, who is seriously underused, coming of as a woman who cannot understand why her husband is some committed to finding justice, bringing no sympathy to the character. Mira Sorvino is also underused as Dwight's ex-wife, having the minimum amount of screen time but Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota, keeps showing that she is the next child actress to really make an impact.

'Reservation Road' is a missed opportunity. With an excellent cast, it is the cliched story that lets the film down. While telling the story and affects from both sides, the film starts off interesting enough but as it progresses we see it spiralling into something we have seen many times before.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (8.04 mins)
Entitled 'Grace listens to Josh's last message', 'Maid cries out hearing Josh died', 'Parallel scenes Ethan & Grace - Dwight', 'Raul the garden contractor come to the house - Grace tells him about Josh', 'Ethan teaches class for the first time since Josh's death', 'Ethan & Grace scatter Josh's ashes', 'Dwight & Lucas at breakfast - Lucas finds SUV', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to explain why it was removed.

Looking back on Reservation Road (14.40 mins)
Director/co-screenwriter Terry George, novelist/co-screenwriter John Burnham Schwartz and stars Joaquim Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino come together to talk about 'Reservation Road'. The group talk about the adaptation of the novel, consentrating on their characters, the group talks passionately about the subject matter and what they brought to the story and the film. This is a decent and honest featurette, that shows that the cast and crew believed in the story they are telling.

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Reservation Road' is ok but could have been a lot better. While the deleted scenes and featurette are good, the lack of a commentary is disappointing. Fans of the film will be fine with these extras.

DVD


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2008