Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Michael_Elliott Crossroads (1986) *** (out of 4)Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) is a young man from Long Island who loves the Blues and the legend of Robert Johnson. He tracks down Willie Brown (Joe Seneca) who was the last person alive to play with Johnson in hopes that he will turn over a lost song that the Blues legend recorded. Soon the two are on a road trip to Mississippi where Eugene wants to become a Blues legend himself while Willie has an old score to settle.Walter Hill's CROSSROADS is a love letter to Blues musicians of the past and there's no question that it does a great job at paying respect to them. The film was released to some great reviews but it really didn't catch on at the box office but over the years it has gained a strong cult following and it certainly deserves that. The love letter to the Blues is obvious but there's also a nice road picture here as well as one excellent performance.What I enjoyed most about Hill's film is that the director perfectly nails the Southern locations and I thought he did a marvelous job at making you feel as if you were watching a true myth come to life. There are scenes at the Crossroads where the Blues magicians sell their soul in order to play and I thought these scenes were highly effective and one wishes that an entire movie would be made of this and Johnson. Another major plus is that the music itself is extremely good and there's no question that it pulls you into the picture.Macchio was riding the success of THE KARATE KID and for the most part I thought he was good in the film. I'm not quite sure I believed him as a great musician but I thought he was fine playing the know-it-all from Long Island. Jami Gertz is very good in her role as a woman the two run into on the road and Joe Mortan is also good in his few scenes. There's also Harry Carey, Jr. in a small role as a bartender.With all of that being said, CROSSROADS work so well because of Joe Seneca. He delivers the performance of a career here and I must say that he easily steals the picture. The actor really is believable in the role and there's not a second that he's on screen that you don't feel as if you're watching a real Blues legend. I will say that the ending didn't really work too well with me but that's just a minor issue. Other than that this Walter Hill film packs a nice little punch and is certainly entertaining.

vechnyc Totally amazing cult movie. The key scene is somewhat mixed-up though. Jack Butler "discourages lots young boys" for the Demon - so Eugene is in fact helping & abetting evil by beating Butler. Sooo... who really wins what, and whose soul goes to who then? The means of victory is also mighty curious. "Primal\passionate\unruly\black" vs "European\rational\highly-trained\white" cultural traditions - & the latter wins as we are made to see. Well-ah, "let's get to it, Robert Johnson, standby..." No black Mississippi devil can beat the electricity Maxwell XIX century demon, right?..

SnoopyStyle Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) is a classically trained guitar student in The Juilliard School. He's in search of the legend of Robert Johnson. He finds Willie Brown (Joe Seneca) locked away in an old age home. Willie claims to have recorded with Robert Johnson back in the day. Eugene agrees to break him out, and back to Mississippi. In return Willie agrees to help record Robert Johnson's long lost 30th song. On the road, they encounter 17 year old runaway Frances (Jami Gertz).I love the music but the drama is paper thin. It's a road trip adventure. It's not particularly fun or funny or dramatic. All three people start off as disgruntled malcontents. Ralph Macchio comes off as a clueless brat. Jami Gertz isn't as clueless. And Joe Seneca is just a grumpy old man.There is a distinct lack of drive. There's got to have some kind of time constraint or a bad guy chasing. The whole thing is a series of meandering incidences. I think Willie probably should have told the whole story to start, and put some time constraint on it. Then they could have the excitement of the quest. Or else make it a horror as Willie is chased by the Devil. There are many ways to add drama to this story and they used none of them.While I love the music, I can't help but notice that it's Ralph Macchio on the screen. It's my one complaint about the guitar battle. I just can't believe that Macchio could play. But I would barely recommend this for the music.

denis888 If there is one movie about Blues, then there is the one. I remember watching it for the first time in 1992 0r 1993, and since that time I am hooked! The theme, the deep South, the music, the cast - all is thrilling and the long, slow blues tracks by Ry Cooder are simply mesmerizing. The very trip done by Willy Brown and his young accolade to the South in search of the lost 30th Robert Johnson is so well done that you almost feel the smell of corn and whiskey. And then there is young Steve Vai who utters not a word in the sequence of duel but does a marvelous work as an actor and solo guitarist. That breathtaking Jackson / Telecaster, Metal / Blues, Shred / Slide duel is a highlight of the whole film. Man, ain't it cool!