Reservation Road (2007)

The greatest movie ever made..!

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

'Reservation Road' is a film of considerable power. Most all performances are first grade, especially Phoenix & Ruffalo, as is the adaptation of John Burnhan Schwartz's book for the screen. Both book writer and director worked together on the tour-de-force screenplay. Oscar winner, Irish born Director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) certainly knows how to put across feelings of guilt and justice - having been imprisoned in Belfast for 6years over his consorting with members of the Irish Republic Socialist Party. Three years later George and his wife forged a new life in America. They returned to Ireland for various film projects.This tragic story takes place in leafy Stamford Connecticut and makes good use of this beautiful setting to convey its shattering situation - much of which is brought about by pressure upon weekend visiting dad (Ruffalo) to get his beloved son back to his mother on time. Perhaps there maybe a little too much use of coincidence and it would have been a touch more satisfying to have a little more closure for Ruffalo's troubled character but, the overall outcome is certainly powerful and fully involving. For lovers of fine drama this Road offers compelling traveling.

Directed by Terry George, "Reservation Road" is an intermittently interesting drama staring Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly as a husband and wife who lose their son during a hit-and-run accident. Mark Ruffalo plays the driver of the car responsible for the death.Though unbelievably heavy-handed in a number of sections, "Reservation Road" is lifted by another excellent, wounded-man performance by Mark Ruffalo. Elle Fanning and Joaquin Phoenix do memorable work as well, though Phoenox's character becomes incredulously written as the film progresses. Connelly is mostly terrible in another underwritten female role. The film, a sorrowful tragedy filmed in melancholic blacks and harsh, judgemental whites, plays well when its operating as a morality tale. Less successful are its thriller elements.7.9/10 – See "Exotica" and "The Yellow Handkerchief". Worth one viewing.

Terry George has already established a name for himself as a writer and director. His previous directorial venture, 'Hotel Rwanda' tells the poignant story of Paul Rusesabagina's courageous attempt to rescue thousands of Rwandans during a genocide that was largely ignored by the world. With 'Reservation Road' he tells a harrowing story of one of the worst kinds of losses experienced by humans (especially parents) the loss of a child.John Burnham Schwartz adapts his own novel and his screenplay is rich in detail, story and character development. George doesn't only touch on the issue of grief but also on anger, obsession, revenge, guilt and taking responsibility that result from such severe loss. The tension he builds through atmosphere and interaction of actors, the poetic flow, stunning cinematography and soundtrack all come together beautifully. In addition the viewer is kept in suspense.The emotions and reactions displayed by the performers are very raw and appear very natural. All the actors do nothing short of superb, even though the film mainly belongs to Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix (both are exceptional as they deliver one of the best of their careers). Jennifer Connelly is remarkable and Elle Fanning is brilliant. Mira Sorvino provides adequate support in a small role.Emotionally engaging, engrossing and layered, 'Reservation Road' successfully involves the viewer and lingers in mind long after the closing credits have rolled. It's a shame that the film was poorly marketed (even with a huge starcast) and got overlooked by people.

Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, "Reservation Road" is an extraordinarily compelling and beautifully acted drama that looks at a single tragic event – the hit-and-run death of a ten-year-old boy – from dueling perspectives. One of those perspectives is of course that of the grieving family – the father, Ethan, the mother, Grace, and the little sister, Emma - as they attempt to come to terms with the single most unimaginable trial a family can face. But the movie also looks at how the incident affects the man who ran over the boy, then fled in panic from the scene. Dwight is a divorced lawyer with a young son of his own, and his life in this rural corner of Connecticut is torn asunder every bit as much as it is for the family of the dead boy.As Ethan comes to believe that the culprit will never be caught – and that the loophole-laden legal system will allow him to weasel out of any meaningful punishment even if he is – the emotionally decimated father decides to take matters into his own hands, much to the consternation of his wife, who would prefer he spend his time trying to heal the family and work to make it whole again.Despite the premise, "Reservation Road" is no cheap exploitative revenge-fantasy but rather a profoundly moving and insightful look into the various ways in which human beings cope with tragedy. The parents' reactions to their son's death and to the utterly random, inexplicable cosmic injustice of it all could not be more palpable and real. In the same way, the soul-crushing guilt with which Dwight is grappling – while having to put on a happy face for the world – makes us empathize with him as well, despite the fact that we certainly don't condone his actions on an ethical or intellectual level. The beauty of the Terry George screenplay is that it refuses to judge any of its characters. There are no heroes or villains here, just deeply flawed individuals doing things - out of fear, out of confusion, out of an instinct for self-preservation or an understandable craving for eye-for-an-eye justice - that they would never even dream of doing under ordinary circumstances. But when the Fates suddenly deal one a blow this unforeseen and this devastating - showing us all just how vulnerable we truly are to having our lives forever shattered in the blink of an eye - all bets are off, and it often takes a Herculean act of the will to lead one back to that instinctive moral center that existed before the tragedy. This is what both Ethan and Dwight are ultimately forced to learn from the experience.The plotting is taut (if a bit overly reliant on coincidence at times) and the direction by George sensitive and focused. And Ruffalo and Phoenix deliver performances of such emotional intensity and lacerating truthfulness that I can't believe they weren't officially awarded for their efforts.But watching them and the film they're in is reward enough for the viewer.