One of the strangest films of the year, Thunder Road is written, directed by and starring Jim Cummings. Jim Arnaud (Cummings) is a police officer in a small American town. We first see him at his mother’s funeral, where, when asked to say a few words, his speech goes into unusual and a cringe-worthy direction. Separated from his wife who wants sole custody of their young daughter Crystal, (Kendall Far), Jim’s life starts to fall apart.
I can see this being a very divisive film, with most people loving or hating it. Typically, I fall somewhere in the middle! There are some impressive moments, particularly in the awkward but touching scenes involving Jim and Crystal. There is an excellent courtroom sequence as Jim’s inability to say the right thing costs him dear, and it is great to see Macon Blair in a small role as Crystal’s teacher in the other outstanding scene.
As talented as Cummings is, it is also true that he is trying to do too much with this effort. A co-writer may have helped him dial down some of the more melodramatic elements and a strong director prevented his tendency to over act at times. Having said that, he does get a very natural performance from Farr. Not quite funny enough to be even the black comedy it has been billed as, and with the drama lacking a real impact, this can be filed as an interesting curio.
Rating: 6 out of 10