Review of Reach the Rock

While 2/3 of the IMDb reviewers cast a very satisfactory and satisfied vote between 7 and 10, most professional critics unmercifully panned the movie… you cannot help wondering if we saw the same film… Unfortunately, the film had already several disadvantages: a somewhat cryptic title which failed to attract attention, no stars, no backing from the distributor; so, if you look at the gross turnover in movie-halls, the result is a sheer catastrophe…. It is a pity, as the film is highly enjoyable - though unusual in many respects: it combines extremely funny scenes with very serious ones; there are practically two settings only: the street at night and the jail; and the cast is limited to seven players: two cameos (wizened Richard Hamilton, and intriguing Norman Reedus as the drowned man), two supporting ones (lovely Karen Sillas and seldom-seen Bruce Norris as the pair looking unsuccessfully for privacy); and three main roles : reliable William Sadler, excellent as the police sergeant; bland-faced promising Alessandro Nivola as the hero, and strikingly beautiful (and good actress) Brooke Langton, climaxing the film. Like many others, I came across the film on TV by chance, – but probably in a shortened version: I witnessed Nivola setting up an intricate booby-trap with a paint-tin and the town-clock… but nothing came out of it. Missed a good laugh, for sure….