Paradise Highway

Last updated

Paradise Highway
Paradise Highway poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anna Gutto
Written byAnna Gutto
Produced by
  • Claudia Bluemhuber
  • Georgia Bayliff
  • Michael Leahy
  • Anna Gutto
Starring
Cinematography John Christian Rosenlund
Edited byChristian Siebenherz
Music byAnné Kulonen
Production
companies
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • July 29, 2022 (2022-07-29)(United States)
Running time
115 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Germany
Switzerland
LanguageEnglish
Box office$222,607

Paradise Highway is a 2022 thriller film written and directed by Anna Gutto in her feature length debut and starring Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo, and Morgan Freeman. An international co-production between the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, the film was released in the United States on July 29, 2022, by Lionsgate.

Contents

Plot

To save the life of her brother, truck driver Sally reluctantly agrees to smuggle illicit cargo, a girl named Leila. As they begin a danger-fraught journey across state lines, a dogged FBI operative sets out on their trail, determined to do whatever it takes to terminate a human-trafficking operation and bring Sally and Leila to safety.

Cast

Production

The film is an international co-production between the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, [1] produced by Grindstone Entertainment Group and Silver Reel; they confirmed the lead cast of Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo and Morgan Freeman in July 2021. [2]

Filming occurred in Jackson and Clarksdale, Mississippi, in July 2021. [3] Filming also took place in Brookhaven, Mississippi. [4]

As of August 2021, the film was in post-production. [5] In October 2021, it was announced that Lionsgate acquired North American distribution rights to the film. [6]

Release

The film was released in theaters and on-demand in the United States by Lionsgate on July 29, 2022. [7] [8] The film was also shown at the Locarno Festival in August 2022. [9]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 14% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "No need to fasten your seatbelts; alleged thriller Paradise Highway leads a talented ensemble through a predictable, seat-numbing ride." [10] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [11]

Joe Leydon of Variety called the film "A shrewdly constructed melodrama that does not transcend cliches and conventions so much as show how useful and effective they can be in the right hands". [12] Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com wrote: "Paradise Highway is the kind wayward, tonally muddled project an actress the caliber of Binoche would only sign onto if promises were broken and payback was required". [13] The New York Times 's Concepción de León had this to say about Paradise Highway: "Though it is refreshing to see members of law enforcement focused on recovering and supporting a victim rather than pursuing her abusers, it does not allow for much narrative tension". [14]

Box office

Paradise Highway was released direct-to-video and streaming services in North America, but did earn $222,607 at the box office in other territories. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Freeman</span> American actor and producer (born 1937)

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator. Throughout a career spanning five decades and multiple film genres, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. He has also been awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008, an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2011, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012, and Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliette Binoche</span> French actress (born 1964)

Juliette Binoche is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 60 films, particularly in French and English languages, and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and a César Award.

<i>Damage</i> (1992 film) Film by Louis Malle

Damage is a 1992 romantic psychological drama film directed and produced by Louis Malle and starring Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Rupert Graves, and Ian Bannen. Adapted by David Hare from the 1991 novel Damage by Josephine Hart, the film is about a British politician (Irons) who has a sexual relationship with his son's soon-to-be-fiancée and becomes increasingly obsessed with her. Richardson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as the aggrieved wife of the film's main character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benoît Magimel</span> French actor

Benoît Magimel is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher. He also starred in Claude Chabrol's La Demoiselle d'honneur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veronica Ferres</span> German actress

Veronica Maria Cäcilia Ferres is a German actress. Her 2007 portrayal of Sara Bender in Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie, based on the true story of Jutta Fleck, earned her the award for Best Actress at the Deutscher Fernsehpreis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Grillo</span> American actor

Frank Anthony Grillo is an American actor. He played Brock Rumlow / Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and animated series What If...? (2021).

Anna Gutto, or Anna Guttormsgaard, is a Norwegian-born American film director, writer, and actor. She wrote and directed her debut feature-length film Paradise Highway (2022), featuring Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman. Prior to that, she had directed episodes of the Norwegian Netflix series Home for Christmas, as well as five short films. Described as a "multi-hyphenate creative", her career has included playwriting, as well as translation and adaptation of Norwegian texts into English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gianni Capaldi</span> Scottish actor

Gianni Capaldi is a Scottish actor and film and television producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Freeman on screen and stage</span>

American actor and producer Morgan Freeman has had a prolific career on film, television and on the stage. His film debut was as an uncredited character in the Sidney Lumet–directed drama The Pawnbroker in 1964. Freeman also made his stage debut in the same year by appearing in the musical Hello, Dolly! He followed this with further stage appearances in The Niggerlovers (1967), The Dozens (1969), Exhibition (1969), and the musical Purlie (1970–1971). He played various characters on the children's television series The Electric Company (1971–1977). Freeman subsequently appeared in the films Teachers in 1984, and Marie in 1985 before making his breakthrough with 1987's Street Smart. His role earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later he appeared in war film Glory (1989), and starred as Hoke Coleburn in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Freeman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the latter and also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

<i>High Life</i> (2018 film) Science fiction film by Claire Denis

High Life is a 2018 science fiction thriller film directed by Claire Denis, in her English-language debut, and written by Denis and her long-time collaborator Jean-Pol Fargeau. Starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche, it focuses on a group of criminals sent on a space mission toward a black hole while taking part in scientific experiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christiane Seidel</span> American-born German-Danish actress

Christiane Seidel is a German-Danish-American actress, having had roles in Boardwalk Empire (2011-2014), Schmidts Katze (2014), The Hollow (2016), Godless (2017), Fosse/Verdon and Human Capital (2019), and Paradise Highway in 2022.

<i>Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard</i> 2021 film by Patrick Hughes

Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is a 2021 American action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor and Brandon and Phillip Murphy. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film The Hitman's Bodyguard and features Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, and Richard E. Grant reprising their roles, with Frank Grillo, Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman joining the cast. In the film, suspended bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) must once again team up with hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson) and his wife, Sonia (Hayek), to stop a madman (Banderas) from launching a terror attack on Europe.

<i>Adverse</i> (film) 2020 American film

Adverse is a 2020 American crime thriller film written and directed by Brian Metcalf and starring Thomas Nicholas, Lou Diamond Phillips, Sean Astin, Kelly Arjen, Penelope Ann Miller, and Mickey Rourke. It premiered at the Fantasporto Film Festival, Portugal's largest film festival, on February 28, 2020. The film earned Metcalf, a Platinum Remi Award, at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.

Francesco Cinquemani is an Italian screenwriter, director, and journalist.

<i>Who You Think I Am</i> 2019 film directed by Safy Nebbou

Who You Think I Am is a 2019 French-Belgian drama film directed by Safy Nebbou, starring Juliette Binoche, François Civil and Nicole Garcia.

<i>Ida Red</i> (film) 2021 American film

Ida Red is a 2021 American crime drama film written and directed by John Swab and starring Josh Hartnett, Frank Grillo, and Melissa Leo.

<i>Panama</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film

Panama is a 2022 action thriller film directed by Mark Neveldine and starring Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson. It was released in the United States on March 18, 2022 by Saban Films.

<i>Both Sides of the Blade</i> 2022 French romantic drama film

Both Sides of the Blade is a 2022 French romantic drama film directed by Claire Denis, who wrote the screenplay with Christine Angot. The film is based on Angot's 2018 novel Un tournant de la vie. It stars Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, and Grégoire Colin. It had its world premiere on 12 February 2022 at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear, while Denis received the Silver Bear for Best Director.

Hala Finley is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in Man with a Plan (2016–2020) as Emme Burns and in We Can Be Heroes (2020) as Ojo.

References

  1. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (July 6, 2022). "Brad Pitt-Starrer 'Bullet Train' To Kick-Off Switzerland's Locarno Film Festival, Lakeside Festival Unveils 75th Edition Selections, Juries". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ Corder, Frank (July 2, 2021). "DPS Commissioner tells movie company the "hard-earned reputation" of MHP Troopers means "a hell of a lot to us"". Y'all Politics . Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ Parikh, Nina (July 1, 2021). "The magic that Mississippi offers to international film productions". Screen Daily (Press release). Mississippi Film Office. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ Campbell, Brett (August 25, 2021). "Wesson family becomes 'Yellowstone' family". The Daily Leader . Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  5. ↑ Rawden, Jessica (August 11, 2021). "Morgan Freeman Reveals The Career First He Got To Do With Ryan Reynolds On The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard". CinemaBlend . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 19, 2021). "Lionsgate Boards Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo & Morgan Freeman Thriller 'Paradise Highway'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ O'Rourke, Ryan (July 10, 2022). "'Paradise Highway' Trailer Has Morgan Freeman and Juliette Binoche Caught in a Human Trafficking Operation". Collider . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ McArdle, Tommy (July 7, 2022). "See Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman in Pulse-Pounding Trailer for Paradise Highway". People . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  9. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (July 6, 2022). "Locarno Film Festival Lineup Includes Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Paradise Highway". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 3, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ "Paradise Highway". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  12. ↑ Leydon, Joe (July 28, 2022). "'Paradise Highway' Review: Juliette Binoche and Newcomer Hala Finley Are On the Road and On the Run In a Solidly Crafted Thriller". Variety . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ Daniels, Robert (July 29, 2022). "Paradise Highway". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  14. ↑ de León, Concepción (July 28, 2022). "'Paradise Highway' Review: A Test of Loyalty" . The New York Times . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Paradise Highway". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved March 3, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.