Detour (2017)

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Skilfully written, energetically performed and full of delicious twists, "Detour" (2016) is a highly enjoyable crime thriller that intrigues by using an interesting structural device, entertains by keeping its action well-paced and displays its writer's affection for film noir by referencing movies that were clearly some of his greatest influences. The plot and its characters are consistent with those which were typically found in noir movies of the past and its fatalistic qualities are also consistent with the ethos of the style.Young, wealthy L.A. law student Harper (Tye Sheridan) is consumed with grief about his mother who's in a coma and fighting for her life and he's also full of anger and hatred for his stepfather, Vincent (Stephen Moyer) who he blames for his mother's predicament. He thinks that his stepfather is uncaring because he's failed to regularly visit his wife in hospital and furthermore, suspects that Vincent is having an affair with a Las Vegas cocktail waitress called Rosy Hills.One night, after visiting his mother in hospital, Harper drowns his sorrows at a nearby bar where he overhears a guy called Johnny Ray (Emory Cohen) talking about a scam that he and his girlfriend Cherry (Bel Powley) had been involved in during which she had lured unsuspecting men to a hotel room so that he could steal their cash. Unfortunately, when one of their victims had become violent and cut Cherry's face with a knife, she'd produced a gun and shot the man dead. Johnny and Harper get involved in some unpleasant exchanges when Johnny gets offended about Harper listening in to his conversation but later, as the two men talk and the inebriated Harper describes his issues with his stepfather; Johnny offers to take care of Vincent for a price ($20,000) and Harper seemingly agrees.Next morning, the hung-over Harper is shocked and horrified when Johnny and Cherry turn up at the front door of his mansion all ready to go to Las Vegas to take care of Vincent. Harper tries to get out of going but Johnny isn't prepared to take no for an answer and it's at this point that the narrative splits into two parallel versions of what follows.In one plot-line, Harper accompanies Johnny and Cherry on a road trip to Vegas during which they get stopped by a state trooper who had seen them leave a diner without paying and visit a menacing drug dealer called Frank (John Lynch) who demands payment of an outstanding debt from the terrified Johnny. In the second plot-line, Harper simply stays at home and resolves his problems with Vincent in a different way. The way in which these two plot-lines eventually dovetail into each other is achieved by a neat time flip that enables the story to proceed to its surprising conclusion.One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of the movie is the way in which writer and director Christopher Smith openly acknowledges some of his influences. Examples of this are the way in which the original agreement between Harper and Johnny reflects a similar arrangement in Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951), a swimming pool scene at Harper's mansion which strongly evokes a memorable sequence in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) and a situation involving the state trooper where, after Cherry turns the tables on him, anyone who's seen "Thelma & Louise" (1991) will immediately know where he's going to end up! Harper's name is taken from Paul Newman's 1966 movie of the same name (as confirmed by a poster on Harper's bedroom wall) and Dr Ulmer, at the hospital, gets his name from Edgar G Ulmer's ultra-gritty 1945 movie also called "Detour".Smith cleverly uses an excerpt from Al Roberts' narration from the 1945 movie in two contemporaneous scenes which feature Harper during his road trip and sitting in his home watching the movie on TV and also shows considerable flair in the way in which he uses split-screens. His characters are made real by great performances from Tye Sheridan as the intense main protagonist, Bel Powley as the damaged Cherry and Emory Cohen as Johnny Ray who, as well as being a volatile thug periodically makes philosophical statements by, for example, reportedly paraphrasing Confucius or remarking that "as you get older, you realize that life isn't about the choice you make, it's about the one you're given"."Detour" (2016) is so entertaining on so many levels that it's surprising that it hasn't been given the exposure it needs to achieve the commercial success that it deserves.

British director Christopher Smith has had an interesting "all most" like career since his debut feature Creep garnered some attention way back in 2004.The hard working director has since churned out 5 feature films (and a mini-series) that include the likes of the underrated horror gem Black Death, the criminally misunderstood Triangle and horror comedy Severance but while there are these little gems or films that almost feel like jumping to the next level, Smith has never truly maximised his potential.Continuing on with this unfortunate trend, Smith's new thriller Detour is a film of what could've been, a sometimes enthralling road trip that often races along at a cracking pace, yet too often veers away in directions that either don't engage or don't make a lot of sense and it must be a film that is marked down as another film Smith could've done more with.Things start out in a promising fashion as Tye Sheridan's college student Harper meets Emory Cohen's unhinged Johnny Ray in a divey bar and the two strike up an uneasy alliance that will see Johnny kill Harper's dodgy step-dad on a road trip over to Las Vegas with Johnny's on/off girlfriend Cherry coming along for the ride (played impressively by rising star Bel Powley), but Smith's film can't maintain the pace or interest levels as the narrative changes its colours and what we initially have signed up ends up being a whole different beast entirely.The performers all have a decent crack at the material, the soon to be Ready Player One lead Sheridan is always a solid presence, Powley is just as good as she was in her breakout The Diary of Teenage Girl role and while Cohen is starting to become a little one note with his tough guy persona's, it's hard to argue against that he does this type of role well, even if Smith labours him with some expletive ridden and often mediocre dialogue.You can see where Smith wanted Detour to go and where it could've gone had the material struck the right chord but after 30 or so minutes with this car load of characters, you'd be wishing the film had a quick pit-stop so you can get off and hitch a ride back where you came from.Final Say – One of those road trips that's destination feels like it wasn't worth the effort, Detour has a hot start out of the blocks but quickly burns its fuel tickets and becomes a thriller that is not thrilling enough or original enough to make this a journey worth taking.2 intrusive gardeners out of 5

The concept for this film is unique. I'm surprised this hasn't been done before. The film is very suspenseful. I found myself holding my breath for minutes at a time. There is a twist at the ending and it feels a bit unresolved. I'm surprised this film hasn't gotten more buzz.

not the greatest Smith's movie but it it's not bad at all , the ending was really dramatic and sad for me , it's twisting end sort of movies ,it has lot of suspense and will keep you suspended until the last moments , i liked Tye Sheridan acting but not much love for Emory Cohen acting the movie teaches us a life lesson which is never jump to conclusion and don't make decisions and take actions based on presumptions rather than facts and understanding . I consider this movie to be in the must see list all people have to watch this movie .