Starring: Neil Hopkins, Brea Grant
Director: William Dickerson
Distributed by: Level 1 Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time : 87 minutes
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
“Detour” is a little indie film which could have easily slipped through my radar. But thanks to the power of the internet, over the last month, I have seen this film pop up all over. I am glad that paid attention to the hype since this film is freaking fantastic. 95% of the film takes place inside a car when our lead Jackson (Neil Hopkins) is trapped by a mudslide in the hills of California. I can’t help but relate this film to others like “127 Hours” or “Buried”, since it deals with the same issues of being isolation in a confined space and the struggle to survive. Those were good films but I have to say I was absolutely blown away with “Detour”. I will be spreading the word like a wildfire since this is a film that people need to see.
Let’s get to the cast, actually in fact the cast is one person since “Detour” is the Neil Hopkins show. He runs the whole show and boy, does he nail this out of the park. He is best known for his role of Liam on “Lost”. This performance better get him some mega recognition because he really deserves it. It is very hard to carry a film for almost 90 minutes on your own but he makes it look easy. His character, Jackson, is a commercial actor who must struggle for survival and find a way to make it out of alive. Luckily, he is a also a very resourceful guy with a car full of everyday items that he uses to assist with this fight. This films keep you on your toes and will studying how to be as crafty as he is in the film.
Director William Dickerson co-wrote this film with his partner Dwight Moody and even though it is not the most original idea for a film it still works for me. In fact, I read that they have had the idea in the works since 2007. “Detour” deals with issues of claustrophobia and asphyxiation to say the least and as an audience you feel like you are battling those right also alongside our brave actor. I have to find out how this film was shot because it really had me convinced that this guy was stuck in a real mudslide. This film is currently released in select theaters and also available on various video-on-demand formats like Amazon, iTunes and major cable providers. I would highly suggest paying the few bucks to check this out. You will thank me later!