Jake's Road (2019) User Reviews

ONLY A CRAZY PERSON WOULD COME UP HERE

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 14 September 2018]

Chris (Patrick Flanagan) wakes up bloody and injured in a hospital. The film is him recalling what happened , even the parts when he wasn't there. Sam (Garrett Hines) wants to marry Kay (Leticia Jimenez) and plans on proposing to her after she meets with his remote family and friends. During a camp fire, Sam announces that he and his brother Mike (Tim Bell) have decided to sell the camp. Keith (Eric Roberts) goes ballistic and soon there is a body count by an unseen assailant with all but two people accounted for.

About 20 minutes from the end, we find out who did it, but wait...it felt like they filmed two endings and not knowing which one to use they used both because the film was too short.

The film shows friends getting together, talking, drinking a beer, and not really doing much on anything...oh wait they cooked burgers and dogs. The first killing was unimpressive. It used a spring loaded retractable blade, that made a distinctive spring noise when it was being used. The gun shots looked like they were shooting red paint balls, no clean bullet hole entry just blood splatter. The script dialogue was bad, the actors had no chance.

Parental Guide: sex and gratuitous nudity (WWE Taryn Terrell- thanks)

Director has WICKED ADD

[selfdestructo · 1/10 · 6 January 2022]

Let's try this angle, no this one, no... this one. No, another one. All in the span of seconds. No surprise the director acted as editor as well. Wow, where to begin? First of all, I want my 84 minutes back. A family get-together of the world's most annoying family, spouting some of the most insipid, dull, lifeless dialogue I've ever heard in a movie (yeah, same guy wrote it). It is announced at the end of their little picnic that the family camp is getting sold. Eric Roberts goes ballistic (Big Twist: Eric Roberts is not the worst offender of overacting in this flick). People start to die. SPOILER: This is a red herring. Some other guy goes psycho, for reasons explained very late in the running time. There is a framework where one of the guys is trying to recall what happened, which is wholly unnecessary.

This is rich: The old bald guy (who he was supposed to be I never grasped, nor half the people in this film, but he seemed to be in a different age group than the other brothers) is getting it on with the young chippy who I thought was his daughter. Later on, he starts giving Sam crap for dating someone too hot for him. Whatever you say, grandpa.

Zero. Point. Zero.

Pleasantly Surprised

[SarahSFisher · 7/10 · 9 July 2020]

I'm not a suspense thriller person but I was actually quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. For an indie film, the quality of actor was top notch. There were only a few scenes individually I felt they dropped the ball, but overall as a team was a great watch. It really did keep you guessing and the surprise twist at the end made it even better! Well done!

Great for a Saturday Night in

[jwadevet · 9/10 · 6 March 2015]

Pretty cool storyline with enough real surprises to hold your interest in anticipation. The story is easy to follow.

The acting is quite good by all of the actors, with Roberts having one of his better performances. Mayhall, the writer/director makes an appearance as does producer, Tim Bell. They both add to the film Garrett is quite talented as is Leticia Jimenez. Both are fun to watch. Miles Doleac deserves a special look. Really good acting. Patrick Flanagan served his role quite well.

Filming is good quality with some really nice (and some eerie) shots in good settings.

Gotta see it...don't miss the surprise!

My Review Of "Jake's Road"

[ASouthernHorrorFan · 8/10 · 14 September 2015]

Mike Mayhall presents us with a slightly elevated story that relies on a mature cast of "30-something plus" characters who really do give quality performances. The writing isn't the most developed material when it comes to actual dialog, but the overall story is a nice slice of heavy, dramatic, thrilling character study that mixes with a solid level of survival horror. I found "Jake's Road" to be very intense, and entertaining. A few moments in the film I jumped because of the intensity of the moment and the connection I had toward the characters.

The special effects are pretty tight through most of the film. There is some CGI shots that kind of lessen the effect of the scenes but no more than what we have to deal with in some of the horror television series and most horror films with a decent budget. You just kind of have to take CGI with a grain of salt now days. The good thing is that Mayhall and his team did choose to stick with mostly practical effects and blood for the majority of the film. The only real downer during the horror scenes was the refusal to get visceral and gory when it could have really amp'd up "Jake's Road" so much more. But still the overall choices made in this department work well.

Overall "Jake's Road" is a nice viewing experience with some really tense, thrilling moments that seem to start almost from the beginning. The film does have some very familiar themes and set-ups that aren't too original or creative, but the story and acting is good enough to really sell this nightmare situation to movie-goers. The energy does falter a bit at the big climax. Not because of the acting or anything, but the dialog seems to be a bit haphazard. Anyway the momentum slows down somewhat in the final scenes of the film, and once the truth of "who's behind the killings" is revealed, it does feel sort of cliché. Still "Jake's Road" is definitely worth checking out, and well over 90% of the movie is solid.

Fun and Thrilling

[Dawne_Kennedy · 10/10 · 6 April 2015]

This was not only a thriller, but it was fun to watch, too! Wow!!! Understandably, it was fiction, but there was enough truth in the characters that the audience could well relate to them.. a definite sign of good writing. It's not common in today's Hollywood market to see that, with all the reboots, and unoriginal stories and plots that are being greenlit for production.

The setting was gorgeous and reminded me home. The cinematography and effects were well done, which is difficult to do on a smaller budget. I'd love to see what this production company could do if they had a blank check!

Jake's Road entertains and provides a great story at the same time. Thoroughly recommend!

Fun, scary, hip and GOOD!

[jeananne-256-731674 · 9/10 · 6 March 2015]

I sat down to watch this movie and totally got sucked in! Yes, it is a thriller, but the characters are endearing and memorable with real personalities that are established before the scary stuff starts!

Eric Roberts is at his predicable best, of course. Garrett Hines is soulfully attractive as his love interest Leticia Jimenez. Each character brings a different angle to the film, yet they are all intertwined through Mayhall's in your face directing.

The locations make perfect settings for the 'crimes'. I found myself curling up on the couch waiting for the next surprise or twist. Well scripted. Well directed. Well acted. Believable relationships. Talented new faces. See it!