Road to Paloma

As I sat in the movie theater watching Road to Paloma, Clint Eastwood came to mind. Just for a moment I thought he directed this film, however it is the directorial debut of Jason Momoa, who also co-wrote and starred in the film as Wolf. The performances are low-key, the visuals tell the story, not a lot of dialogue, wonderful use of music, and the movie is leisurely and laid-back. It is about family, love, redemption, brotherhood, and justice. And it is also has an "Easy Rider" vibe. The Cinematography by Brian Mendoza is to be noted. I was immersed in Wolf's journey. If you are looking for a shoot-em up action movie, this is not for you.

Watched this movie at home the other night. Having read one of the reviews here beforehand, i already knew the main concept of the plot, which wasn't really mind-blowing, but i decided to give the movie a shot since the impression movies make isn't always 100% based on plot.

If you want a "long story short" opinion, then this movie, despite not being totally bad, does feel kinda plain and pale, more like a university project than a real thing. It does have some nice moments in it, and the nature shots are really beautiful. But that's not a nature documentary, and even if the movie doesn't pretend to be anything too big, you still tend to expect more from it.

It's what happens when the director thinks that good intentions are all that really matters. Yes, i already read here on IMDb that Momoa talked in his interviews about the problems concerning the crimes against native Americans. Okay, that's all very touching, but Jason, you still decided to make a movie, not to write a pamphlet. You can't just ask some difficult questions and think that it will do.

The acting was very mediocre. Seriously, Jason was much more convincing as Khal Drogo where he had to play by other people's rules, than in this movie where he was his own boss. Dragging his wife into this movie as a person of his character's romantic interest was another thing that made it look like a school project. She's very nice and all, but really, in their scenes together they look like they film their real-life behavior instead of acting their roles. Seriously guys, just get a room, and please, don't film what you do there, at least not for a wide audience. The only more or less believable characters were Cash - but only because he was already backwards enough that anyone who looked like a bum could have played him - and Khal Dro... ehm, Robert Wolf's father, but that might be due to the natives' inherent charisma.

But let's put the one-dimensional characters aside and look at more technical stuff. The action scenes were pretty damn fake. Momoa had a very decent performance as Conan and Khal Drogo, so he must know better about such stuff. Instead, we see the silly fights and a shaky cam that tries to hide the fact that the guys punch air or ground instead of each other. Sound editing was also pretty ugly, there are a lot of scene sequences when after a very quiet scene when you have to turn up the volume to hear the conversation there suddenly follows a very loud scene - not cool at all. More of it, in some scenes i could clearly see the lips and sound being out of sync, which is just unprofessional.

All in all, this movie is not the worst way to kill an hour and a half of your time, especially if you love the landscape shots and feel benevolent towards the movies that promote the "free spirit" attitude, or maybe you just love Jason Momoa's looks. But for the rest of you folks, this film can easily be skipped without losing too much.

I for one think this film was an excellent work of art. The story was great in my opinion, and it honestly was a different type of tale. Going into the movie I knew the back story, since I had watched some of Jason Momoa's earlier interviews, where he had stated that a lot of serious crimes happen in the native area, but are not taken seriously by the public.

This film shows the different aspects of Jason Momoa's work and greatness! I can see why he was tired of being type-cast as the big tough guy - and hopefully this film changes people's thoughts about him and his work. Momoa's acting was very strong, as was the writing and the directing! The directing was just awesome - the wide shots were amazing and it really captured the beauty of land and natural structures.

Lastly, the soundtrack was phenomenal and let's not forget Robert Mollohan's portrayal as Cash. His performance was really under-shadowed, and he really deserves some recognition.

In conclusion, I feel this movie was amazing. With a mere $600,000 budget, the cast and the story were outstanding. Being tired of sequels and prequels, this is an original tale, which is definitely worth a watch.

Robert Wolf is on the run and on a mission. along the way we laugh, play and cry with him. we get frustrated. we fall in love. we get scared and heartbroken. what a journey.

i was so impressed with this feature length debut from Pride of Gypsies. cinematography, mood, tone, cast, dialog all fit (though dialog was light). there was deeply felt emotion throughout, but balanced with much appreciated levity. Jason Momoa directed a well-rounded experience. under Momoa's direction, i have to say that Chris Browning (Schaeffer) and Michael Raymond-James (Irish) stole it. they were wonderful and so perfect in their roles. Chris Browning, well, i have only seen him play sleazy characters, so this was a treat to see a different side of him. Linden Chiles (Bob, may he RIP) and, of course, Momoa (who basically played himself) were great to watch. Robert Mollohan (Cash) was...well...you gotta see lol. wish there was more Wes Studi though.

i especially loved Brian Mendoza's cinematography. scenes by firelight, by morning light, by dusk and storm, by flare. i don't believe i have seen such brilliant use of natural light on earthy human beings since "Girlfight". i like the way he fills his shots with equal attention to foreground and background. this could easily have looked crowded, but in a movie with sparse dialog it was smart to keep the eye moving in almost every frame. there were some grainy moments that sort of added to the low-budget flavor of the piece. but then there were shots that looked like they would cost a fortune to recreate.

heartfelt, poignant, relevant...i recommend this one highly to those who care about good stories. if you keep producing this quality (or better), PoG you got me.

This is a great film for those who honor the journey. With a beautiful display of desert landscapes, this movie let's you feel the freedom of living life moment to moment. I don't think that the point of the story was to examine morality in any great way; aside from the pain of suffering loss and the injustice that often prevails. The film does a good job of contrasting the shortcomings of western culture with the simplicity of a more ancient one. As a result, you get a story of blended and contrasting themes, filled with the tension of an impending doom.

I enjoyed the characters as well. Jason M. created a lovable hero that is easy to empathize with. His friends and family all admire the depth of his character, drawing the viewer into their world. It helps that he's a good looking dude, with all of the swagger you could ask of a mystery rogue biker. It's hard to imagine a woman who would say no.

This movie won't rock your world or change your stance on anything. It's simply a great indie flick into a world that most of us will never see, with freedom that we will never experience. It will leave you with lingering images of endless highways cut through a land that would rather forget about us.

I would have liked to give this a higher vote, but it's just a simple story and I feel that it tops the scale of it's own potential. Otherwise, I didn't think that it lacked much. I'll be recommending it to friends who care about something more than the latest superhero flick.