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Jul 11, 2014 By Selena Fragassi Web Exclusive

Robert Wolf is on a road to nowhere. After his mother is raped and murdered by a white man on Native American land—and with seemingly no help from official authorities—Wolf takes justice in his own hands, avenging the horrific crime and embarking on an escape mission to evade the federal agents who are now all but interested in hunting him down. The problem is that neither he nor the viewer has any idea where he is going.

Road to Paloma is the writing and directorial debut of Jason Momoa (of Game of Thrones and Stargate fame), who carefully plays the lead role of Wolf. His story is an evolutionary tale that pits human nature against civil law, Native culture against white superiority, the classic road warrior saga against idle settling—all of which culminates in the final scenes as Wolf retreats to the peaceful, mountainous home of his sister (Person of Interest actress Sarah Shahi) and her husband “Irish” (True Blood’s Michael Raymond James). Here he finally meets his namesake nephew and retrieves the ashes of his mother, foretelling of the new journeys ahead only as Wolf sees his past catching up with him.

The dramatic clincher, though, is prefaced by 80 minutes of wanderlust as Wolf hits the red dirt trails of the Southwest on his motorcycle, detoured by a cast of misplaced characters, from his eventual “Sundance Kid” sidekick Cash, a booted musician going through a divorce (played by the film’s co-writer Robert Homer Mollohan) to a brief love interest, Magdalena (Momoa’s wife, Lisa Bonet). From awkward interactions at diners and family parties to battleground scenes in strip clubs and fight clubs, the progression of the Road to Paloma drudges along with no clear sense of destination other than to make us come to the conclusion that our outlaw is an excusable hero—a point paralleled against Cash’s transgressions. Wolf, rather, is portrayed as a fixer who mends to broken-down cars and fractured relationships and executes more than one glory killing.

The basis of the story is admirable, shining light on an all-too-real and often untold storyline—and Momoa beautifully punctuates the film with a series of stunning landscapes and ceremonial pictorials while elevating the direness and bravado with a well-placed soundtrack that features six tracks from Do Make Say Think’s Ohad Benchetrit and Justin Small. But even all the visceral cut and paste art can’t fully form Momoa’s story—as much as we want him to be the victor at the end of the road.

roadtopaloma.com

Author rating: 5/10