For those who don’t remember (or don’t want to), the 90’s spawned a lot of Tarantino copycat films, sometimes they were great (Suicide Kings) but most of the times they weren't so good (The Boondock Saints or Reindeer Games). Then, for some unknown reason, the trend died off and then Marvel started releasing films at lighting speed and it was the end of the world as we knew it.
However, it looks like the Tarantino-esque trend might be back with what looks like a mix between the underrated “teen detective movie” Brick and Sliding Doors. Never seen that cute little British comedy where we get to see how Gwyneth Paltrow’s future would look like if she gets on the tube, or not? Well, it’s alright, but spoiler alert, she and Chris Martin get a divorce.
Anyways, apologies for the tangential “detour” there, let’s get back to Christopher Smith’s latest. He moves on from the “horror” genre after having directed the decent Creep (Franka Potente is chased in the London subway by a monster), the very dark and very funny Severance (starring main man Danny Dyer) and the brilliant “knights vs plague” film Black Death where Sean Bean dies one of his most original deaths so far: getting drawn and quartered by horses!
Detour, which employs a split structure narrative, is the story of Harper, a young law student, struggling with whether or not to kill his abusive stepfather. This film is not to be mistaken with The Stepfather starring Nip/Tuck’s Dylan Walsh (what happened to him?). Even if this doesn’t seem like the original plot of the century, Smith got the some of the best young actors in the business today for this film.
The film stars Tye Sheridan, only 20 but already a great character actor as seen in Jeff Nichols' amazing McConaughey starring Mud. He’s destined to hit it very big in coming years as Cyclops in X-Men and the lead in Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Alongside him are Bel Powley and Emory Cohen, seen in The Place Beyond the Pines and last year’s Brooklyn (has anyone seen this film except aging Oscar voters?). Wrapping up this neat little cast is True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, obviously playing the stepfather, although they should have gotten Dylan Walsh for that part.
There, you have it, Detour isn’t going to reinvent the wheel, but if you’re nostalgic for the ‘90s films and just looking for a pulpy thriller to gnaw on, this looks like the film to catch in theaters or OnDemand on January 20th!