Camino a Paloma

There's more to Conan than one might think. Well the Conan that did not succeed that is and you might not even have seen. Jason Mamoa is more than a little bit involved in this movie. Apart from being lead, he also directed this. Which means he really stands behind this story and wanted to tell it the way it is shown.

For someone multitasking, he's doing a pretty decent job. His character might have some flaws (and a lead character needs those), but the story itself does not really have them. It flows along nicely and is as spiritual a ride as you can get. Much better than another movie that came out recently, which was supposed to be a sort of sequel to "Easy Rider". I'm not a biker, but you can see what the quality of it is, with some very beautiful shots and the freedom it obviously gives you. If that is you cup of tea -> enjoy

Jason Momoa's mother was raped and killed, and the authorities didn't care; she was an Indian, after all. So Momoa. That's a different matter, since the rapist was White. So Momoa gets on his motorcycle and rides through the American Southwest, dodging the FBI and spreading his mothers ashes.

In his ramblings, we get a view of the underclasses that inhabit the character's world, trying to live their own, casual lives while avoiding the iron fist of the Authorities. It's a bleak, inhospitable world with flashes of beauty and violence, and although mostly derivative, is a pleasant watch. With Lisa Bonet (she and Momoa married in 2017), Lance Henriksen, and Michael Hayes.

Robert Wolf (Jason Momoa) is a native American from the Mojave reservation. He's wanted by the law after killing his mother's rapist. He is joined by unstable fellow rider Cash.

Jason Momoa is the star, the director, and also co-wrote the script. He has basically made a 70's biker movie, probably inspired by Easy Rider. It's not bad but I wouldn't call it great. It has some interesting moments but it doesn't have a real direction. In a way, that's the movie and the road trip. There are interesting sections like the bare knuckle fight and carrying the rape victim with flares. It does need to show a snippet of the inciting killing incident at the start of the movie. It's missing that and the movie struggles to get into gear at the beginning. If I had to dissect Momoa's abilities, he's a charismatic lead and his directing style is functional biker flick. There is a bit of art to his work but nothing exceptional. The writing is the one main aspect lacking and quite frankly, one can only guess at what he actually wrote for this movie. Next time, he should get a better writer to polish off his script.

This is a great film for those who honor the journey. With a beautiful display of desert landscapes, this movie let's you feel the freedom of living life moment to moment. I don't think that the point of the story was to examine morality in any great way; aside from the pain of suffering loss and the injustice that often prevails. The film does a good job of contrasting the shortcomings of western culture with the simplicity of a more ancient one. As a result, you get a story of blended and contrasting themes, filled with the tension of an impending doom.

I enjoyed the characters as well. Jason M. created a lovable hero that is easy to empathize with. His friends and family all admire the depth of his character, drawing the viewer into their world. It helps that he's a good looking dude, with all of the swagger you could ask of a mystery rogue biker. It's hard to imagine a woman who would say no.

This movie won't rock your world or change your stance on anything. It's simply a great indie flick into a world that most of us will never see, with freedom that we will never experience. It will leave you with lingering images of endless highways cut through a land that would rather forget about us.

I would have liked to give this a higher vote, but it's just a simple story and I feel that it tops the scale of it's own potential. Otherwise, I didn't think that it lacked much. I'll be recommending it to friends who care about something more than the latest superhero flick.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, but having seen the 7.4 rating on IMDb I decided to give it a shot. I am not disappointed, despite the rating being quite a bit lower now.

Even though the film is about a fugitive on the run, it does not feel like he is escaping. It feels he is aware of his limited time before facing the law, but it does not change who he is or how he behaves. He travels on his motorcycle, visits friends, helps out whom he can and ultimately is on a mission to spread his mother's ashes where she wished to rest. He joins together with a less perfect but still very likable man and they travel together. They are being pursued by two lawmen, one clearly conflicted and the other totally ruthless.

It's a very pleasant ride; we get to know the main hero, empathise with him and presumably are expected to fully agree with him dispensing justice. I won't get into whether we should or shouldn't agree, however the biggest complaint I have about this film is how much it shoves this rationalisation of vigilante justice in our face. The film could have been a lot more subtle and definitely could have hinted another side of the story. We would still sympathise with the protagonist, but through a more realistic understanding of his plight, rather than being fed a one-sided view.

I gave this film a 7 despite the above flaw. This is because this flaw is easy to spot, understand and ignore. Once you do that, the film is engaging and enjoyable.