Durant's Never Closes

Director Travis Mills built a strong story around the infamous Jack Durant, owner/operator of his famous eatery in Phoenix, Arizona––Durant's.The restaurant has continued after Durant's passing and leaving it to his dog in his will. Durant's explosive nature was legendary. His public and personal relationships existed daily at the end of Durant's short fuse. Most believed he had ties to organized crime. The essence of Jack Durant was superbly captured and performed by Tom Sizemore and was drawn out and captured on film by director Mills. Durant's Never Closes is an Indie film, made by Indie filmmakers who put their hearts and souls into giving you a great, entertaining film. Highly recommended.

Yes, I like Tom Sizemore, that being said I thought this film showed his prowess as an actor. It is a slice of America, a story that is complex and yet simple. Was Durant a bad man, maybe, was he a good man, maybe, just as we all are viewed as such. Travis put together a good cast to make this story work and interesting. I drove from Indy to Detroit to see this film and visit with friends, worth my time and money. There are moments you are waiting for some answers to questions and yet more questions are asked you didn't even know needed asked. Then you are let into a person who was real and Sizemore made you want to know the man.. yes see this film

This film does a great disservice to the legacy of Jack Durant but also the restaurant that bears his name to this day. The story is convoluted and uses flashbacks and dream sequences too much making the main story disjointed. The IMDB reviews praising this film are mostly from Travis Mills, the director or people he's conned into thinking he's some great filmmaker. If not for relentless self aggrandizing promotion this would be relegated to the scrap heap of failures. The restaurant and estate of Jack Durant wanted nothing to do with this film and the critics who've seen it think it misses badly. In the end you are better off avoiding this since at the end you'll probably wonder what you just saw, and not in a good way.

Durant's takes a complicated man and makes an adventure of a film. A prolific graduate of Arizona State University's film school, Travis Mills has brought a piece of Arizona history to the screen with daring independent filmmaking. It's not always easy to tell where/when we are, but the film manages to find pivotal scenes of this man's life. It turns out that Jack Durant was an Arizona legend for good reason. As we move from moment to moment around his life, Tom Sizemore shows us the good, the bad and the ugly of Jack Durant, a figure bigger than life, but Michelle Stafford's performance is the one to watch. Peter Bogdonavich also makes an appearance. Definitely worth a look!

I like how Durant's Never Closes weaves story-telling, metaphorical imagery, and documentary style real-life interviews together to open a window into the intriguing lifestyle and character of 1970s successful Phoenix restaurateur, Jack Durant, an arrogant, self-made business man who had relations with Hollywood celebrities and with the mob, including Bugsy Siegel. I like how Travis Mills and the Running Wild Film crew incorporate scene transition techniques that convey the complexity of Jack Durant and mimic the kaleidoscope of invading thoughts, worries and confused dreams I have an appreciation for the cinematography techniques, particularly the manner of camera panning, slow motion, depth of field, and the manner of scene transitions emphasize the dreamlike state of Jack Durant's flashbacks as well as exemplify the jumbled mindset of an irritated, demanding, troubled man who is frustrated by the state of his control as he views his life events in confusion. The complex character of Jack Durant is portrayed expertly by Tom Sizemore's skillful use of subtle expressions and body language. It demonstrates Sizemore's true ability to empathize with the character of Jack Durant and bring him back to life. Travis Mills, the screenwriter, director and producer of this film, showcases his ability to visualize the entire picture from the start with supportive stories that add drama, comedy, historical information, and empathy for the characters. Travis Mills, in his ability to accomplish the entirety of screen writing, directing and producing a feature film, demonstrates his strong potential for more greatness in the future. Durant's Never Closes is an applauded example of how it is possible, within a limited independent film budget, to construct amazing scenery, to incorporate that talents and skills of local talented actors, artisans, to attract the dedication of expert sound & lighting technicians, to provide opportunities for rising local talent to blend with seasoned actors and mutually benefit from the experience, and to make the most of available resources in order to develop entertaining stories.