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'Crossroads' puts a face on the pain of reckless driving |
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Written by Hal Boedeker, McClatchy-Tribune
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Wednesday, 18 April 2007 |
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CROSSROADS
Cast: Dean Cain, Peri Gilpin, Landon Liboiron, Ryan Kennedy.
Where and when: The CBS movie from Hallmark Hall of Fame premieres at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Parents guide: Violence.
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Broadcasters have basically given up on TV movies, and a good film is as rare as a blockbuster sitcom these days.
Where is the "Seinfeld" of today? Nowhere. The heyday of "Hallmark Hall of Fame"? Long ago.
Yet here comes "Hallmark Hall of Fame" with "Crossroads," a film of unexpected power. Two familiar TV actors, Dean Cain and Peri Gilpin, help sell this wrenching movie. It premieres at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday on CBS.
"Crossroads" surmounts major challenges on a tricky terrain. It is a movie inspired by real events - words that usually send viewers scurrying to other channels.
The full title, "Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness" spells out the central theme.
Issue dramas defy smooth execution. The issue this time: the tragic consequences of reckless driving. A remorseful driver impresses on high-school students the lifelong consequences of a mistake behind the wheel.
"Crossroads" could have been a glorified after-school special. Yet director John Kent Harrison guides this somber drama with a sure hand most of the way. The movie slips into melodrama toward the end, and perhaps that was unavoidable. The story is incredible.
Bruce Murakami ("Lois & Clark" star Cain) loses his wife and daughter in a car accident. From a TV report, he learns they were victims of a hot-rodding driver. But the sheriff's department doesn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.
To build a case, Bruce enlists a hard-charging attorney, Erin Teller ("Frasier" alumna Gilpin). She pushes the district attorney's office to act.
"Crossroads" also is the story of a family in crisis. Grieving Bruce fails to comfort his sons, Josh (Ryan Kennedy), a college student, and Brody (Landon Liboiron), a high-school musician.
Bruce repeatedly fails to connect with Brody, who is full of anger.
Of his dead mother and sister, Brody says, "I hate how they're stuck in stupid little picture frames, and we're left behind, trying to figure out why it happened."
Toward the end, "Crossroads" broadens to depict the speeding driver's anguish and his family's turmoil.
And "Crossroads" deepens into a film more subtle and haunting than its full title: What is justice? What is a positive way to honor the dead?
"Crossroads" rolls along with strong, understated performances. The most crucial one comes from young Liboiron; he plays Brody with such torment that "Crossroads" has the jagged feeling of real life. As the father, Cain delivers a heartbreaking look at the end that transcends the film's issues.
The production notes explain that Bruce Murakami established a nonprofit group, Safe Teen Driver Inc., to boost responsible driving. His wife and daughter were killed in Tampa in 1998. You can find more information on the group at safeteendriver.org.
This direct, unflashy movie should bolster Murakami's crusade. Like determined Murakami, "Crossroads" makes its case, then takes a surprising turn. Don't be surprised if this thoughtful movie sticks with you. | Only registered users can write comments.
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