I wanted to like this movie for a number of reasons; first off, it was shot, and about, my hometown Detroit, Michigan, second it stars the delectable and underrated N'Bushe Wright. Unfortunately, despite a very gritty Motor City feel, the film fails to reel in the audience with it's characters, led by Wood Harris (The Wire, Remember the Titans), in a stoic performance. Harris plays Tony Smalls, a successful Detroit lawyer, primed to make the move to the more lucrative side of law practice, that is, until his sister Nia (Wright) recruits him to save her street thug boyfriend Big Boy, from a murder charge. What follows is a generally captivating journey through the seedy and corrupt world of Detroit politics and street crime. Director and Detroit native Harry A. Davis, manages to capture the natural ambiance and general "scariness" of inner-city Detroit. Where he, and the film falls short is in the unevenness of the story, and the general lack of character depth. We know that Tony and Nia, while brother and sister, were given unequal chances on making it out the hood, but we never get a pulse on just who they are. Why Tony and Nia are at odds, why Nia is so driven to "dangerous" guys like her boyfriend Big Boy (a strong performance by Christian Mathis). N'Bushe Wright gives another solid performance, but is highly misused. The film would have benefited from having her on the screen more, and developing her character more evenly. Kevin Jackson as Ray, Tony's investigator steals every scene he's in. The cinematography by David Phillips is at times surreal, but at some points seems overindulgent. Overall, the film is worth watching (for native Detroiters, it's a looking glass into the hood, the true hood), the political corruption is right out of the headlines of today's Detroit; however, it misses the mark as an action-drama, with a sluggish pace, and undefined characters.
Review of Joy Road
