Actors: Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley
Directors: Walter Salles
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Run Time: 124 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars
One thing that “On the Road” doesn’t fall short of is amazing talent. This film is jam-packed with a great cast including Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, and Terrence Howard. Since the film is very character driven, they all come together very well. I am surprised it took this long to get this film out there since it was shot back in 2010 but it was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and named one of the 10 Best Films of 2012. The film is directed by Walter Salles (“The Motorcycle Diaries”) and is based on the iconic 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac. This is the first time that Kerouac’s novel has been brought to the big screen and it is definitely worth the wait. If you are looking for a well-acted and directed rebellious road movie then you should dig “On the Road” quite a bit.
Official Premise: ON THE ROAD tells the timeless story of Sal Paradise (Sam Riley, “Byzantium”), a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of charming ex-con Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund, “TRON: Legacy”), a free-spirited, fearless, fast-talking Westerner and his girl, Marylou (Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga”). Traveling cross-country, the new friends venture out on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them in search of the unknown, themselves, and the pursuit of “it” – the pure essence of experience. Seeking uncharted terrain and the last American frontier, the duo encounters an eclectic mix of men and women who each indelibly impact their journey toward self-discovery.
MPI is the distributor behind this Blu-ray release and they did a good job on it. The 1080p transfer is sharp. The locations are well represented and really lends to the film itself as a character. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks works well with the film’s ever so important dialogue and score. The only real part that I was upset with was the lack of special features. The only extra included on the release is a theatrical trailer. I would have loved to seen more here…maybe a commentary track from some of the amazing cast perhaps. Or what is a road movie without a crew documentary the journey, a behind-the-scenes look could have been cool as well.