Road (I) (2014) User Reviews

Totally enthralling.

[MovieBuff57 · 9/10 · 21 October 2014]

There had been a Joey Dunlop documentary on BT Sports earlier this year, which had centred solely on Joey himself. This documentary expanded on the Dunlop family dynasty with brother Robert and his sons Michael and William who are both still active in the sport.

You'll get most from this film if you're a road-race fan, MotoGp fan, biker or simply a fan of motor sports in general. It's the heartfelt and intensively emotional interviews with the family and friends of Joey and Robert that make this so engrossing just from the human interest element alone.

The final crash footage towards the end of this documentary was so gut wrenchingly sad. The subsequent insistence of both sons to continue racing 2 days later was just mind-blowing.

This is a real-life story that just holds your attention from start to finish.

Tribute to a great racing family

[johneofficial · 8/10 · 29 September 2014]

A very decent attempt by the director on the life of the Dunlop brothers. Excellent choice of adding Liam Neeson's voice as the story teller which is captivating. The films has some real footage of the racers and their talents. Watch it for the sheer exemplary and the sacrifice of this family has made towards street and professional motorcycle racing. They need an applause. The movies focuses mainly on joey and his brother Robert dun-lop. The movie tells us how dangerous the sport of road racing and the consequences it puts on the rider and his family. There's a great amount of reality in the movie because its based on a true life story of a person. Overall a great movie to watch if you are into motorcycle racing and a being a rider.

If you've ever ridden a motorbike: watch it. I've you've never ridden one: watch it!

[craigosenior · 9/10 · 12 April 2019]

An insight into a unique and death defying sport. There's nothing else quite like it. Formula 1, MotoGP? Nope. These boys are made of serious stuff. This film made me laugh and it made me cry: out of sadness and also out of joy. Poignant moments abound. Unforgettable.

Amazing and Inspirational...

[pableto · 10/10 · 25 September 2014]

I'm by no means a fan of bikes or road racing, but seeing the high reviews for this movie got me intrigued. I'm very glad I watched this doco, in one word, inspirational.

It's been a while since a piece of film has moved me, and it's just the basics of human emotion and the revelation of the amazing spirit of the people in this film that speak a real, undeniable truth.

Great story, great telling, amazing footage and wow, what an amazing family. They obviously live for this, and it shows through with raw emotion, honesty and moments that are genuine and heartfelt.

The footage is spectacular, with some passage just having me shaking my head in disbelief. It's amazing what some people can push themselves to do.

Do yourself a favour and watch this flick.

Wow

[valleyjohn · 10/10 · 13 October 2014]

Wow. What a film Drive is. I had heard of the Dunlop name many years ago but not being a road racing fan i never knew their story other than hearing Joey's name when i was a kid. This remarkable documentary tells the story of Brothers Joey and Robert , intermingled with footage of Robert's two sons and how road racing is their life . I can't imagine what makes these men play with their lives , road racing on these extremely dangerous machines but this film gives some sort of insight in to how dedicated these men were. Narrated by Liam Neeson with moving interviews from family and friends and some amazing race footage , this is one of the best films i have seen in a very long time.

10 out of 10

The world's most dangerous sport.

[peterreb · 10/10 · 23 December 2014]

This is a powerful and very moving film excellently and subtly narrated by Liam Neeson. The film is about 2 sets of brothers, Joey (Yer Maun) & Robert Dunlop and Robert's sons William & Michael. These men are probably the greatest motorcycle road racers of all time. Motorcycle road racing is without doubt one of the most dangerous sports in the world today where even the smallest error can be fatal. This movie captures some amazing and thrilling footage of the riders in action on Irish country roads and on the legendary Isle Of Man TT Course, there are also many fascinating interviews with the riders, their families, friends and their mechanics. This can at times be a hard movie to watch, it's hard not to shed a tear at some of the incidents shown. Liam Neson's narration is of the "less is more" variety, intelligently it lets the riders and the pictures do the talking. A must see, even for those who are not fans of motor sport.

Racing Documentary Done Right!

[orozco-paul · 10/10 · 13 December 2015]

Let me start by saying, this is an absolutely wonderful film about a truly exceptional family. It's hardly perfect, but a beautiful tribute non-the-less. It starts off exciting, drags a little in the middle, and the last half hour becomes truly epic. In comparison to a film like Senna (which I truly love in almost every respect) it won't have the flair or fast paced manner, however, the subject matter here is so much more dangerous, and in some ways more exciting. There is tragedy within the film, but there is so much more. It feels a little too lengthy but I promise the payout is there in the end. If you're not moved by the end then you have no soul. Please enjoy and spread the word, its worthwhile.

One of the best motorcycling films but terribly downbeat

[fotofuel · 10/10 · 21 September 2018]

This film is even more tragic given the current state of the Dunlop family and is almost the darkside of what the TT film presented.

The TT film actually gave the impression of that buzz they were all chasing whereas this gives the impression that it's simply the Dunlop fate to race until inevitable doom. I'm sure they were all chasing that feeling to the point of addiction, but the frenetic delivery of Guy Martin, which actually half makes you think doing 180 between lamp posts could be fun is the polar opposite of the Dunlops where it seems to be the only way of life.

I found the TT film to be quite uplifting but this is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, it's gripping stuff, even if you've grown up watching stuff like V-four Victory on VHS and already know a lot. Just get the hankies ready.

unexpectedly visceral

[JeremyConnors · 8/10 · 13 October 2016]

First moto doc that had me considering just how dangerous these machines, and what we do with them, really can be.

A real tear-jerker. And what impressed me the most was the editing -- complimented by shots of crashes through P.O.V.'s and helicopter footage, (not too mention the vintage reels) -- you can't help but *feel* what you're experiencing as a viewer. Quite an achievement as documentary format goes, if you ask me.

The story is beyond compelling, albeit slow at times. Proverbial celebrity-with-euro-accent- narration was in no way distracting or over the top. Liam fit right in with rest of the micks just fine. :)

Slick, But Uninteresting to the Uninitiated

[raputznik · 5/10 · 25 September 2014]

With the slick, bombastic intro slowly building towards an orgiastic climax, I expected this movie to be moving and transfixing along the lines of "Senna"—but ultimately, it's a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.

As the expertly-edited intro credits fade to the narrative about a two-generation Irish driving dynasty, there is little here to keep the interest of a viewer who isn't already familiar with—or better yet, a superfan of—these Irish road warriors. Ear-splitting audio effects sharply intercut the standard talking-heads interviews, and I began to question whether Liam Neeson's sturdy- but-sonambulistic voice-over work wasn't hampering the narrative, as I struggled to understand why I should care about this particular family over any other Irish motorcycling daredevils.

The odd crash excites, but the crash footage is oddly bloodless and, as much as the filmmakers try to demonstrate what the thrilling reality of driving a back at such a breakneck speed is like, there's isn't much evidence of what happens to the human body during one of these high-speed disasters.

Much like the toothless "Formula 1", this is a great documentary, if you already follow the subject, and get aroused simply by the noise and thunder of engines and exciting footage. Unlike its spiritual cousin (and, I suspect, inspiration for all moto-docs since) "Senna", this film lacks the heart and effective explication of the sport to casual viewers that creates a memorable, moving documentary. Rent "Senna", unless you're an Irish Moto fan.