Road to Paloma is a 2014 American drama thriller film directed by (in his directorial debut), produced by, co-written by, and starring Jason Momoa.[2] Robert Homer Mollohan co-stars and co-wrote the script. It also co-stars Sarah Shahi, Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James, Chris Browning, Timothy V. Murphy, and Wes Studi. The film was released on July 11, 2014.[3]

Road to Paloma
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJason Momoa
Written byJason Momoa
Robert Homer Mollohan
Jonathan Hirschbein
Produced byBrian Andrew Mendoza
Jason Momoa
StarringJason Momoa
Robert Homer Mollohan
Lisa Bonet
Michael Raymond-James
Chris Browning
Timothy V. Murphy
Sarah Shahi
Wes Studi
CinematographyBrian Andrew Mendoza
Edited byBrian Andrew Mendoza
Jennifer Tiexiera
Music byOhad Benchetrit
Justin Small
Production
companies
Boss Media
Pride of Gypsies
Distributed byAnchor Bay Entertainment (UK and US)
WWE Studios (US)
Release dates
  • April 12, 2014 (2014-04-12) (Sarasota Film Festival)
  • July 11, 2014 (2014-07-11) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$600,000
Box office$937,000[1]

Plot

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After murdering his mother's rapist, (who died from her injuries) Wolf, a Native American, flees from the law. Six months later he meets up with a drifter called Cash and heads north to his sister's property where he intends to go spread his mother's ashes, but with the law right behind him his dream to lay his mother to peace may come at a price.

On their way up north to spread his mother’s ashes, Wolf and Cash are approached by a little boy covered in blood begging for help. They race into the desert brush to find a young woman being raped by a white male. Robert Wolf murders the man and he and Cash run to a nearby police station on foot carrying woman and child. The police officer stops them from running away and is about to call in that the two suspects are being arrested.

Cast

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Production

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In October 2011 Jason Momoa stated that he was writing, directing and acting in an upcoming project, Road to Paloma.[2] Made for $600,000, filming began in February 2012 in Needles, California, where half of the filming was to be done. The rest took place in Los Angeles and Bishop.[5][6]

Momoa set Shovels & Rope and The Rolling Stones to score the music for the film.[7]

Filming

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Filming was scheduled to begin in February 2012 in Needles, California, where half of the filming was to be done with the rest set to take place in Los Angeles and Bishop.[5]

Additional scenes filmed near Mexican Hat, Monument Valley and Kayenta. End scenes possibly Henrys Fork of Green River near Kings Peak in the high Uintas.

Release

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On August 13, 2013, it was announced that WWE Studios and Anchor Bay Entertainment had acquired distribution rights in North America, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.[4][8] A late 2013 release was planned.[4][8] The film premiered at 2014 Sarasota Film Festival in April.[9] The film gained positive reviews.[10]

Reception

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Road to Paloma got "mixed to average" reviews from Metacritic, receiving 44 out of a 100, based on 8 reviews.[11] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 57%, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10.[12]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter said that the film is "straining mightily for a mythic quality and reaching a predictably melancholic, violent conclusion, Road to Paloma mainly comes across as a vanity project star vehicle".[13] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times criticized "the film's loose naturalism" , but praised its strong acting, specifically "Chris Browning, as a liaison between the F.B.I. and the reservation", saying that in her opinion, "[that was] especially enjoyable".[14]

Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times said that "though there's nothing terribly profound or unique about actor Jason Momoa's feature writing-directing debut, 'Road to Paloma', it does prove an effective throwback to the loose-limbed, my-way-or-the-highway road movies of the Easy Rider era".[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Road to Paloma (2014)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Jason Momoa Talks CONAN; Reveals He's Writing and Directing ROAD TO PALOMA". collider.com. 16 August 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 18, 2014). "Jason Momoa's Helming Debut 'Road To Paloma' Gets Multi-Platform Berth". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "WWE Studios, Anchor Bay Team For Jason Momoa's Directing Debut 'Road To Paloma'". Deadline Hollywood. August 13, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Denevan, Jennifer (February 6, 2012). "Actor/writer/director Momoa filming locally". thedesertstar.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. ^ Neumyer, Scott (February 26, 2014). "Q&A: Jason Momoa Follows 'The Red Road'". Rolling Stone.
  7. ^ Atkinson, Claire (January 25, 2014). "Jason Momoa on his road to film financing". New York Post. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Lesnick, Silas (August 13, 2013). "WWE Studios and Anchor Bay Films Take Jason Momoa's Road to Paloma". comingsoon.net. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Cox, Gordon (March 12, 2014). "Jason Momoa's 'Road to Paloma' to Premiere at Sarasota Film Festival". variety.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  10. ^ Jason Momoa landed the Red Road Thanks to his Derictorial Debut 'Road to Paloma' Zap2it.com Archived March 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Road to Paloma". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "Road to Paloma (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Scheck, Frank (June 10, 2014). "'Road to Paloma': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  14. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (July 10, 2014). "A Fugitive Who Stops to Smell the Flowers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  15. ^ Goldstein, Gary (July 10, 2014). "Review: An easy, enjoyable journey on the 'Road to Paloma'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
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