didn't think this movie was going to be any good...boy was i strong. tye sheridan...who by the way looks like a young tom hardy really shows his acting chops in this movie. the other 2 main leads were very very good also...emory cohen and bel powley. gave the movie 7 stars because its much better then a 6 and i strongly believe that the movie eventually will be in the high 6s'. very character driven storyline with a few nice twists...no action...all the action is in the acting, thats what makes a good thriller. there was 1 gory part in the movie...close to the end...extremely extremely gory but it lasts only about a second..no big deal...doesn't detract from the movie. do watch the movie if you get a chance..if you like thriller genre movies or just a good movie in general.
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bcheng9320 January 2017
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Wizard-826 August 2018Sometimes when I am surfing on Netflix (well, actually quite often), I will stumble upon an indie title that I know nothing about, but has an interesting description that makes me put it on my watch queue and soon after watch it. Sometimes the movies turn out to be bad, but there have been many times when I have stumbled upon a gem that deserves to be better known. "Detour" is one of those latter movies. It starts off being kind of standard and familiar, but soon after it turns to be unpredictable, with an unconventional narrative that adds extra interest. I had no idea how the movie was going to end and what would happen to the characters. And the narrative does manage for the most part to feel as if what we are seeing could very well happen in real life. The movie isn't perfect - there are some small details that are brought up and then forgotten about (such as the blood drops in the main character's home), and every so often the movie gets self-consciously "arty" with distracting use of split-screen. But for the most part, the movie works, always being entertaining even during those aforementioned weak touches. This isn't a classic thriller, but it definitely rises up high enough to be awarded sleeper status.
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Enthusiastic_Viewer24 January 2017Well as this is movie first movie review, I'll keep it to a minimum. With that being said, I didn't expect much from this movie. I didn't really hear a lot about it and there's not a whole lot of actors in it that I'm familiar with, with the exception of Stephen Moyer. I must say I was a bit surprised! Not a great movie that's gonna blow your mind or make you want to watch it over and over, rather, an enjoyable film worth actually watching. There's a little twist that makes it interesting and holds your attention. Actors/actresses did a fine job, they played their parts well and made them very believable. I rated this a 6 because it's worth a lazy Saturday morning watch. Enjoy!!
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This film tells the story of a young man whose mother is in a coma due to a traffic accident. He believes that his stepfather was driving when the accident happened. Furthermore, he thinks that the stepfather is cheating, and hence he decides to sell revenge.
"Detour" is refreshing because there story splits into two storage alternate universes, one being Harper doing the things he said he would, the other not doing it. Even though the two parallel stories have the same characters, they don't get mixed up. And the two stories are both engaging and interesting. I especially like Cherry's character, and Harper's calmness in the do it storyline. I think "Detour" is a good indie film and deserves a watch. -
destinylives5214 January 2018Manny's Movie Musings: "Detour" is an indie flick about a teen (played by Tye Sheridan) who enlists the help of a young gangster (Emory Cohen) to kill Sheridan's dad (Stephen Moyer). The story's strengths are the talented, young cast (Sheridan and Cohen); and a manipulation of the timeline to produce a clever twist at the beginning of the third act plus a more shocking twist near the end. "Detour" is weakened by the dialogue Cohen speaks, making the actor seem like a wannabe Tarantino character and the writer/director just a plain, wannabe Tarantino. My most memorable, movie moment of "Detour" is the revelation of the twist ending that turned this somewhat entertaining movie from a suspense/thriller into a tragedy.
Mannysmemorablemoviemoments -
ferdmalenfant4 October 2019Things aren't always as they seem. This is a great movie filled with the unexpected. Very entertaining! Great cast.
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usmcmikeco17 October 2023I read the reviews and wanted to like this movie, and overall? I did. The reason i gave it s 6 is because i felt robbed by the ending. The build up is pretty good and keeps you guessing of how it might end, which makes for a great thriller. Detour teased me for 90% of the movie and left me unsatisfied in the end, not to mention some GLARING plot holes that just spoil the end for me.
1. what was the purpose of the emphasis on the blood left on the faucet and floor if it had NO significance in the outcome?
2. what REALLY happened to his mom?
3. What was his stepdad hiding?
4. Killing his Step dad was CLEAR self defense
5. Why the stripper opening?
This movie wouldve been better if the cut scene of him killing his stepdad and what proceeded were to play AFTER they get away. -
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into 'Detour'. I have enjoyed some of writer/director Christopher Smith's previous work, it always has an edge to it, something that makes it unique and different. Again it would have to be said that 'Detour' is a unique film, just perhaps not as much so as some of his other films. Something else I like about his work is that it pulls no punches and you really have a sense as an audience member that anything could happen. That is certainly apparent in 'Detour'.
One thing that let the film down for me was Tye Sheridan in the lead role. He just has zero charisma and is very hard to root for. I understand his role wasn't supposed to be an overly likable or fun guy, but a good actor can still make themself watchable and entertaining while playing a role like that. Other than that though there isn't a whole lot I can fault the film for. The rest of the cast performed adequately and the pacing is very well handled despite a chopping type of story line. It's certainly nothing game-changing or mesmerising, but if you have a couple of hours to kill there are far worse ways you could do it than by watching 'Detour'. -
eddie_baggins3 December 2017British director Christopher Smith has had an interesting "all most" like career since his debut feature Creep garnered some attention way back in 2004.
The hard working director has since churned out 5 feature films (and a mini-series) that include the likes of the underrated horror gem Black Death, the criminally misunderstood Triangle and horror comedy Severance but while there are these little gems or films that almost feel like jumping to the next level, Smith has never truly maximised his potential.
Continuing on with this unfortunate trend, Smith's new thriller Detour is a film of what could've been, a sometimes enthralling road trip that often races along at a cracking pace, yet too often veers away in directions that either don't engage or don't make a lot of sense and it must be a film that is marked down as another film Smith could've done more with.
Things start out in a promising fashion as Tye Sheridan's college student Harper meets Emory Cohen's unhinged Johnny Ray in a divey bar and the two strike up an uneasy alliance that will see Johnny kill Harper's dodgy step-dad on a road trip over to Las Vegas with Johnny's on/off girlfriend Cherry coming along for the ride (played impressively by rising star Bel Powley), but Smith's film can't maintain the pace or interest levels as the narrative changes its colours and what we initially have signed up ends up being a whole different beast entirely.
The performers all have a decent crack at the material, the soon to be Ready Player One lead Sheridan is always a solid presence, Powley is just as good as she was in her breakout The Diary of Teenage Girl role and while Cohen is starting to become a little one note with his tough guy persona's, it's hard to argue against that he does this type of role well, even if Smith labours him with some expletive ridden and often mediocre dialogue.
You can see where Smith wanted Detour to go and where it could've gone had the material struck the right chord but after 30 or so minutes with this car load of characters, you'd be wishing the film had a quick pit-stop so you can get off and hitch a ride back where you came from.
Final Say –
One of those road trips that's destination feels like it wasn't worth the effort, Detour has a hot start out of the blocks but quickly burns its fuel tickets and becomes a thriller that is not thrilling enough or original enough to make this a journey worth taking.
2 intrusive gardeners out of 5 -
sftrojan7 January 2019Ok, this is a rare review that I would normally give a film like this a bad review, I have to agree with others, it's well worth seeing. You may get distracted from time to time with details like a struggle with a large knife, in the living room, yet it's quickly outside flying through the clouded sky before cut back to the living room where the two are finally making it outside. This was just a poor choice in a few seconds of editing. AND LET ME JUST SAY: It's very refreshing to have new plot lines in a medium that often resorts back to prior projects.
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deglispiriti31 August 2023It's nice that people think this is a clever plot: It is; it's the plot to one of the best film noir productions ever made. While this film is a trash-talking, crass vestige (if that) of the original, it stumbles around trying to be one-twenty-fourth as good. It's odd that none of the "top" reviews here makes any reference to the original. It's basic film history. The log line is the same. I'm sorry to say, "skip this, and watch the first one."
The film begins with a stripper and slips down into a bar fight between boys so young you can't believe they could defend themselves. Not worth it. No redeeming qualities. Not watchable. -
Samirsbureau27 January 2017From Christopher Smith, the director of "Triangle" a movie that I personally love and that was loved by many, I thought i'd give this movie a chance without knowing much about what I was going into.
And it was definitely a surprise, knowing that actually the budget of this film isn't high at all and won't hit the box office, I lowered my expectations but then what I got from the film raised them up.
The film is actually very entertaining and engaging, and there's a very cool plot twist almost in the middle of the movie, I felt like this movie interacts with the viewers in a really cool way.
What I liked the most about this film is that it feels unique, it shows you how simple decisions could change lives, and not to mention the cinematography was very beautiful.
Without spoiling anything, I thought this movie was a very cool underrated thriller that deserves to be more known than this, so give it a try with an open mind. -
wrxsti548 August 2020This movie is a little unexpected. It begins with a clean cut freshman college student from a prosperous family called Harper (Tye Sheridan) whose life is turned upside down by his mother slowly dying from a car accident that Harper feels was staged by his scheming step father who plans to usurp the family wealth and run off with a mistress. In a drunken moment of bravado, Harper meets a petty drug dealer Johnny (Emory Cohen) who offers his services to bump off the step father.
British director Christopher Smith takes this basic plot and teases the audience with two alternative story lines based on whether Harper carries through with the plan and each story is fascinating. Augmenting the cast is Johnny's pole dancing girlfriend Cherry (Bel Powley).
All three leads make this movie - Cohen does a brilliant job as a truly low life nasty piece of work and Sheridan, no stranger to intense roles and dark movies, plays a remarkably resilient and resourceful student further demonstrating his chops as an actor who can shine in various roles. Powley is the perfect co - star and the movie ends on a rather sweet and happier note. -
jeanblackqueen2 March 2018One of the worst movies ever screenplay is ludicrous
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ksf-23 July 2021Written and directed by british Christopher Smith. Law student Harper James never got over the death of this mother. So when he gets very drunk and starts shooting off his mouth, he gets in deep; he thinks his step father is somehow responsible for the accident which results in the death of his mother. When a mysterious stranger Johnny Ray (Emory Cohen) offers to solve his problems, Harper takes him up on the offer. But has just made his problems so much worse. And everything falls apart. He can't seem to get out of all his new problems. But Ray's friend Cherry (Bel Powley) may solve all his problems. Or has she just made things worse? Good suspense, as we follow along on Harper's adventure. Filmed in south africa? Interesting. It's okay, if you just go along for the ride. Gets a little loopy at the end.
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madwand66 May 2019Why doesn't he just call the cops and show them the video of his father attacking him? Case closed. Looks like drama looking for a place to happen.
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killercharm27 December 2021This post-Tarantino flick grows on me. Especially because it reminds me that if it isn't right in your heart, it won't be right, ever. A law student swears his stepfather killed his mom. When he goes out to drink his sorrows he meets up with a slimy pair. They take him to Vegas to get even with the stepdad. Turns out one of them is not so slimy. So cool that there are clips from Detour 1945 in this flick.
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wandernn1-81-68327426 November 2022As the movie begins, the opening credits roll in a strip club. Totally irrelevant to what is going on and there is absolutely no skin. -1 Star just to begin.
AS the movie progresses, we're back at the strip club where there is a glimpse of skin but not much else. Boring.
Okay and then the movie picks up a bit. A road trip to Vegas, one of my favorite destinations. And a blowhard definitely not by the book cop who gets in the way.
And really it becomes a pretty cool story, even if it is twisted. I ended up liking the movie But it took a hit for some dumb stuff. No credibility to a few things the characters did. The ending, was nice. 6/10. -
johnsmithjanuary-2008118 December 2021Atrocious screenplay, mediocre acting and an extremely rushed plot. In addition to being unnecessarily simplistic and convoluted at the same time. Not worth your while.
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redrobin62-321-20731127 February 2020I appreciated the director's bent in presenting dual screen alternatives to proceedings which, in itself, does allow an interesting dramatic flair to the outcome. Still, the outcome is...okay. Would I recommended this film based on the juxtaposition of scenes? Probably not because, in the end, the whole was not as satisfying as the intent. Generally, the acting was fair throughout "Detour", not outstanding or unique. The murder scenes were poorly done, unfortunately. In the end, "Detour" wasn't a bad film, despite the fact the namby-pamby acting of the teenage lead was aggravating after a while. Recommended if you're a Tarantino fan looking for films that are kind of similar to his.
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jomayevans20 November 2023After reading positive reviews and looking at the lead girl I thought I'd give this a shot but as soon as it starts it's very flatly door that u feel like you're starting a very C rate drama or film. I was determined give it a chance though despite the young lad who's mums in a coma having the most annoying face and persona. I'd hoped it would pick up once on the road but instead this try to split into 2 different movies/angles with the other 1 more dull. Im dine with the Hitman and his side chick's performance and think they'd do well with better material and someone who knows how to stylize a film with good pacing and sound. But this is flat with no atmosphere at all it feels naff and cheesy which is a shame for the 2 I mentioned I didn't mind watching.. I don't know if the last 40minutes will be improvement but I've wasted enough of the evening. I'd give this a miss if you don't want to spend nearly a hour of a movie thinking about what else you can watch and wasting your evening. I'll try finish it on another time.
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sherlock-holm21 January 2017A film that plays with time in a fun way, with great direction by Christoper Smith, fantastic cinematography by Christopher Ross, and really believable acting by Tye Sheridan and the rest of the cast. I loved this film, but I thought it could have been better paced. The film sometimes slows down quite a bit, especially in the first half of the film. I feel that 4-5 minutes could have been cut. But that didn't really hurt the film to much, it was a great ride with a story that was really interestingly told. It's not a new way to tell a story but it's a fun take on the "Pulp fiction" time line story telling. So if you want a really fun ride with great filmmaking then watch Detour! So I'd say watch it and enjoy!
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I came across this movie by coincidence , and I am so glad I decided to watch it. Why did I? Well, simply: Tye Sheridan. He impressed me so much with his acting in 'Mud', that I knew he is going to turn out to be a good actor. I was also impressed by Emory Cohen in this movie. I like actors who are versatile.I am going to keep an eye on these two.
The way the movie is written, shot, and directed is brilliant. I usually do not enjoy movies that go back and forth in time, but this is done well and for a purpose, which is revealing a twist every time, eventually putting together important pieces of the story.
Moreover, this is a movie that has wit in all the elements I have mentioned above.
Bottom line: it is a good movie that deserves to be seen. People should stop going after movies with "star power", in other words, movies with more famous actors, and should give such movies the appreciation they deserve. -
barbagvido20 April 2017Detour is a film about this teen who hires a criminal to murder his stepfather and we see the movie played out in two different ways:if he hired the criminal and if he didn't. But things aren't always as they seem, you will see for yourself and if you did, you probably know what I'm talking about.
It's interesting in the first act, then it slows down a bit in the second act and then turns the complete plot around in the third act. This movie may be a bit too many plot twists to process at first, but once you really think about it, it all makes perfect sense. The problem is, that slowing down in the second act makes you lose your interest a bit, but don't let that fool you.
The movie isn't long, so try to get into it. It's very stylishly done and it's a nice throwback to crime movies of the 90s, like Reservoir Dogs or True Romance. If you are thinking about watching this, gibe it a chance. -
seymourblack-112 January 2018Skilfully written, energetically performed and full of delicious twists, "Detour" (2016) is a highly enjoyable crime thriller that intrigues by using an interesting structural device, entertains by keeping its action well-paced and displays its writer's affection for film noir by referencing movies that were clearly some of his greatest influences. The plot and its characters are consistent with those which were typically found in noir movies of the past and its fatalistic qualities are also consistent with the ethos of the style.
Young, wealthy L.A. law student Harper (Tye Sheridan) is consumed with grief about his mother who's in a coma and fighting for her life and he's also full of anger and hatred for his stepfather, Vincent (Stephen Moyer) who he blames for his mother's predicament. He thinks that his stepfather is uncaring because he's failed to regularly visit his wife in hospital and furthermore, suspects that Vincent is having an affair with a Las Vegas cocktail waitress called Rosy Hills.
One night, after visiting his mother in hospital, Harper drowns his sorrows at a nearby bar where he overhears a guy called Johnny Ray (Emory Cohen) talking about a scam that he and his girlfriend Cherry (Bel Powley) had been involved in during which she had lured unsuspecting men to a hotel room so that he could steal their cash. Unfortunately, when one of their victims had become violent and cut Cherry's face with a knife, she'd produced a gun and shot the man dead. Johnny and Harper get involved in some unpleasant exchanges when Johnny gets offended about Harper listening in to his conversation but later, as the two men talk and the inebriated Harper describes his issues with his stepfather; Johnny offers to take care of Vincent for a price ($20,000) and Harper seemingly agrees.
Next morning, the hung-over Harper is shocked and horrified when Johnny and Cherry turn up at the front door of his mansion all ready to go to Las Vegas to take care of Vincent. Harper tries to get out of going but Johnny isn't prepared to take no for an answer and it's at this point that the narrative splits into two parallel versions of what follows.
In one plot-line, Harper accompanies Johnny and Cherry on a road trip to Vegas during which they get stopped by a state trooper who had seen them leave a diner without paying and visit a menacing drug dealer called Frank (John Lynch) who demands payment of an outstanding debt from the terrified Johnny. In the second plot-line, Harper simply stays at home and resolves his problems with Vincent in a different way. The way in which these two plot-lines eventually dovetail into each other is achieved by a neat time flip that enables the story to proceed to its surprising conclusion.
One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of the movie is the way in which writer and director Christopher Smith openly acknowledges some of his influences. Examples of this are the way in which the original agreement between Harper and Johnny reflects a similar arrangement in Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951), a swimming pool scene at Harper's mansion which strongly evokes a memorable sequence in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) and a situation involving the state trooper where, after Cherry turns the tables on him, anyone who's seen "Thelma & Louise" (1991) will immediately know where he's going to end up! Harper's name is taken from Paul Newman's 1966 movie of the same name (as confirmed by a poster on Harper's bedroom wall) and Dr Ulmer, at the hospital, gets his name from Edgar G Ulmer's ultra-gritty 1945 movie also called "Detour".
Smith cleverly uses an excerpt from Al Roberts' narration from the 1945 movie in two contemporaneous scenes which feature Harper during his road trip and sitting in his home watching the movie on TV and also shows considerable flair in the way in which he uses split-screens. His characters are made real by great performances from Tye Sheridan as the intense main protagonist, Bel Powley as the damaged Cherry and Emory Cohen as Johnny Ray who, as well as being a volatile thug periodically makes philosophical statements by, for example, reportedly paraphrasing Confucius or remarking that "as you get older, you realize that life isn't about the choice you make, it's about the one you're given".
"Detour" (2016) is so entertaining on so many levels that it's surprising that it hasn't been given the exposure it needs to achieve the commercial success that it deserves.