Route 9 (1998 TV Movie) User Reviews

Stimulating television movie with intrigue , action and excellent casting

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 4 May 2007]

The movie concerns the usual story of sheriff and deputies from a small-town . Kyle McLachlan and Wade Williams discover a pair of dead bodies , drugs and a loot of cash and they decide to take it . They then burn the vehicle where the money was in . But events go wrong and Feds and DEA (Roma Maffia and Richard Riehle) come investigating . Besides , the coroner (Miguel Sandoval) discovers some engaging tapes . Their chief (Peter Coyote) gets suspects and his gorgeous spouse (Amy Locane) is the lover of Kyle McLachlan who wants to flee with her .

This TV movie contains noisy action , thriller , twisted plot and turns out to be pretty entertaining . From the beginning to ending the tension and suspense is continuous . US ¨Route 9¨, film title , runs from Laurel, Delaware -US Route 13- to Champlain , NY near the USA-Canada border and includes a ferry connection . Actors playing is top-notch with special mention for Kyle MacLachlan and Peter Coyote . There also intervenes two future successful television stars in the hit titled ¨Prison Break¨: Wade Williams and Silas Weir Mitchell . While protagonists watching TV appear images with David Paymer and Tony Godwyn , it results to be the former film by director David McKay titled : ¨The lesser evil¨ also starred by Richard Riehle . The film packs a spectacular , atmospheric soundtrack by Don Davis , David McKay's habitual musician including ¨Turbulence II¨ . He's nowadays very known for his ¨Matrix¨ musical score . The motion picture was well directed by David McKay in spite of the short budget . It's a great stuff for action and suspense lovers .

Simple, efficient B-noir thriller

[billywiggins1967 · 7/10 · 20 April 2011]

I found this one just flippin' through the pages of a video-on-demand site ... and what a find. A solid, very entertaining noir B-thriller.

Cop Kyle MacLachlan and his partner aim to steal a cache of loot from a crime scene ... think they'll get away with it?? Kyle Mac is sort of bullied into the scheme by his bumbling, loudmouth, forever-in-debt partner. And as soon as the idea is hatched, things go wrong, Murphy's Law-style, for the next 90 minutes. There were plenty of twists and turns in the plot: many were quite predictable, but some were real shockers, and the intrigue carried through until the final scene, with the viewer never *really* sure who would come out on top.

This is a made-for-cable movie from the '90s but does not feel lowbrow or shot on-the-cheap like many such movies do. MacLachlan is joined in the cast by familiar faces such as Amy Locane, Peter Coyote, the striking Roma Maffia (who is terrific as a very sharp DEA agent), and Miguel Sandoval, later to star in TV's "Medium". There are a few very nice stunts including a big gun battle to start the pic, a mountainside car chase, and numerous big explosions. Director David Mackay manages a few very clever setups and cutaways as he keeps the story moving along. The music score features a prominent bluesy slide guitar dropped in for effect here and there, it is very nicely done.

This is in the end a B-movie, but B-movies when done well can be as exciting and diverting as a pic of any stripe, thanks to simple, efficient construction and skilled execution. ROUTE 9 has those in spades. B- or 7 out of 10 stars.

Derivative but entertaining

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 25 February 2007]

"Route 9" has similarities to both "Fargo" (female law officer solves the crime) and "A Simple Plan" (friendship severely tested for partners in crime). With that said, there are enough differences and subplots for "Route 9" to stand alone. It is definitely the lesser of these three movies, however it certainly is entertaining. The high body count of this movie may be distressing, but the plot ties all the carnage together quite nicely. If you enjoyed "Fargo", or "A Simple Plan", then I recommend "Route 9" as something that will seem like familiar ground, yet can stand on merits of it's own. I rate "Fargo" 10.0, "A Simple Plan" 10.0 and "Route 9" 6.5. - MERK

Incredible! A TV Movie success!

[davidpiedrahita · 15 August 2003]

When placing your eyes upon a TV Movie you would not expect that it will exceed your expectations. But this low budget movie definitely did. It centered around two police officers who decide to keep some 'drug related' money leading to various circumstances and unfortunate endings. The acting was good but a force-ful OTT acting that you would expect from a TV film with the rural town being a perfect spot for The Simple Plan. Like some people had noted before it is very similar to the underground hit, A Simple Plan, released that same year.

It is not as good as the latter but I was genuine surprised with the results. The saying 'Money turns everyone into vultures' is widely portrayed throughout the beginning, right through to the finale.

6/10

'Let's hook this sucker up.'

[punishmentpark · 7/10 · 7 November 2013]

I could have sworn this movie was made years before 'Fargo' and 'A simple plan', but oh. But somehow I like this one anyway, even if it isn't very original or challenging. I like the characters and their petty - but genuine - ways, the moments of dark humour, and even the injections of action scenes just to spice things up.

My favorite role is the one of Earl by Wade Williams; a simple-minded log with a good sense of humour, but just not enough brains to pull this one off. Kyle MacLachlan is a good second, being the good-hearted Booth who might have made it big as an inventor - no really. And Amy Locane is the worthy third; playing the typical blonde Sally who, for a change, turns out to be not that typical at all, in my opinion - or at least she comes off quite sympathetic.

No long story or deep analysis required - it's just that bag of money taken and the things that must come of it; 7 out of 10.

A good film about troubled cops with suspense.

[JCisneros · 6/10 · 29 November 1998]

Route 9 is a good movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat (sort of). 2 small town cops stumble upon a loot of cash after a drug deal has gone bad. they decide to keep the money, and get away with it (sort of). What's next is an interesting look at Murphy's Law. There's everything here folks. Comedy, suspense, action, betrayal. An overall A for a low budget flick.

Money turns everyone into vultures

[DEPRESSEDcherry · 6/10 · 11 March 2021]

The finding a bag full of money storyline seems to be the modern-day equivalent of digging up buried treasure, this is another one of those stories. It follows the usual routine of everything and everyone falling foul of their greed and temptation. To be fair, it's done well, especially considering it's a TV movie. It doesn't push any limits, but it's nicely put together. Worth a watch if you like such predicaments.

predictable, inaccurate, forgettable

[eggkorki · 3/10 · 30 December 2006]

First of all, yes, I understand that movies are fictional and don't always necessarily strive for realism in all aspects, but to name a movie after US Highway 9 -- which runs through portions of New Jersey and Delaware -- even use the highway sign for the title, and then stage the movie in a (fictional) desert town of Grimley, NV . . . that's just stupid.

From there it's all a very predictable, barely average movie. The acting is adequate enough to match the unexciting plot, which isn't saying much, and there seems to be an awful lot of mumbling (or maybe just a bad mix-down).

Don't waste your time on it unless it's one of those times where you just watch whatever happens to be on HBO, it's late at night, and you don't mind falling asleep before the movie is over. . . .

A simple plan 9 from out of law

[jean-no · 5/10 · 10 August 2003]

Two policemen discover men dead after a gunfight. There is money too. Lots of. And drug. What would you do, keep it, leave it ? The dead ones don't need money and they were drug dealers so would it be stealing ? Of course the two men steal the money, and hide it, and they swear they'll forget all about it for a while. Of course, there are some evidences, of course there is a federal agent who thinks that there is money missing... The situation will get worse and worse until the end. If you've seen "a simple plan", from Sam Raimi, you'll notice both movies have quite the same plot. Funny : both movies came out in 1998, it was in the air... But one of these two movies is very good, and it is not "route 9". Sorry for the work, for the actors - not bad actually - sorry every body, this movie is not a masterpiece. At all.

One of the best made for TV movies I have ever seen.

[Lucas_Stroud · 9/10 · 23 January 2008]

I have had memories of this movie for as long as I can remember. I have asked so many people if they remember it at rental and movie specialty stores. Sadly no one does. I however have the premise engraved in my mind two small two deputies stumble onto a drug deal gone bad. The two men are faced with a choice, morals are questions and things get complicated as they always do. The is full of great supporting characters portrayed by Peter Coyote and Roma Maffia. I finally found it after watching "Twin Peaks" and recognizing the actor. Thank God for IMDb and I was able to order it from Amazon. It was worth every penny, please do yourself a favor and check it out.

A highly annoying film

[guitardude2000_ca · 1/10 · 24 August 2002]

Just finished watching this movie.

I was shaking my head throughout the entire show. I can't stand it when the supposed "protagonists" are idiots. It burns in me that I spent over a dollar for the rental and an hour and a half of my life to watch this tripe.

The opening 10 minutes were great...I thought, wow, great setup...but then it went all down hill. It seemed I was one if not two steps ahead of the plot at all times.

I don't recommend this film for anyone.

Odd to see Peter Coyote as less than heroic.

[romar-2 · 9 March 1999]

Violent and funny--think "Fargo" in California and on a budget. Loved Roma Maffia as a Federal investigator--the only intelligent person in town.

Inferior rip-off

[LarsW-2-2 · 4/10 · 6 July 1999]

The premise of the movie is basically an inferior American rip-off of "Shallow Grave", a really great British thriller starring among others Ewan McGregor (famous from Trainspotting). In Route 9, two sheriffs in a calm rural county stumble upon a drug deal gone bad. All the criminals have shot each other dead, and in one of the cars is a briefcase filled with money. Sheriff Booth Parker (Kyle MacLachlan) wants to report in, but his partner Dwayne Hogan (Peter Coyote) persuades him that this is the great chance they have been waiting for; a miracle from God that will save them from the hell of being, basically, white trash without a future. They take the money and torch the car to (as they believe) cover their tracks before reporting in. To their horror, they then discover that one of the badly injured criminals is still alive and might have witnessed their theft. Hogan argues that their lives will be ruined if the man survives long enough to tell on them, and he "helps the man along" by suffocating him with his jacket. After this, they are forced to more and more evil acts as they desperately try to cover up their tracks. The acting is fair. Peter Coyote is not as convincing as Kyle MacLachlan, but MacLachlan does have the advantage of playing the Nice Guy With The Conscience. The plot is pretty predictable with a moralistic ending. See Shallow Grave instead, it is much more scary, realistic, fast paced and unpredictable.

"Easy" Money

[refinedsugar · 5/10 · 18 April 2024]

A big bag of money falling into your lap is the kind of fantasy movies have played with for quite some time because it's easy to identify with. 'Route 9' is another crack at the worn tale with a decent cast, but you have to endure a predictable story and the stock elements - greed, lust, paranoia, betrayal - usually found here. As it is a dtv quickie you'll find the characters rather one note but that's where the recognizable faces come in to at least partially salvage the situation.

Deputies Booth (Kyle MacLachlan) & Earl (Wade Williams) stumble onto a drug buy gone bad in the backwaters of Nevada and decide to keep the 1.5 mil and split it. However one of the dead goons turns out to be undercover DEA which brings Agent Marks (Roma Maffia) to town to piece together what happened. Booth not only has to hold his partner in check, but keep his affair with Sally (Amy Locane) the wife of Sherriff Hogan (Peter Coyote) a secret and local doc Jesse (Miguel Sandoval) becomes another hurdle to face when he stumbles onto what's going on.

MacLachlan comes off likable even with missteps because he kinda represents the viewers perspective on things. Williams a bit away from his ironic role in "Prison Break' still shows his power playing guys who are an equal mix of stupid, greedy & conniving. Locane, Coyote aren't given much to do other than present time filler and a secondary plot resolution. Honestly this part could have been cut entirely, but Maffia and Sandoval bring some pedigree to the flick and provide the few surprises here.

'Money For Nothing', 'A Simple Plan' and 'Shallow Grave' are the most immediate examples that pop into my head that also use this path, but the point I wanna make is the concept always goes disastrously wrong and 'Route 9' is no different. This tale starts out being more than serviceable and upon a second viewing I was still pretty game for what it had to offer. Cliches due to weak writing in the last third & a rushed ending see it take a steady plunge into routine territory though.

Love, Betrayal, Action and Suspense!

[supermango · 8/10 · 27 January 2001]

This movie is really good. The character development is good, but could've been a little better w/ a few of the characters. The story was somewhat new (only a few other ones like it).. but for the low budget and virtually no-name actors, this movie was really good. I really recommend this movie for anyone interested in the story. It's worth it.

Good movie, more than what I expected

[Jack the Ripper1888 · 19 April 2002]

This was a very well made TV movie.*POSSIBLE SPOILERS* It is more than just your usual car chase movie taking place on the Western frontier. This movie follows two sheriff's deputies as they stumble upon a drug deal gone bad. They then decide to take a large sum of money that they find on the scene, but complications arise when a Federal Detective steps in and tries to find out what really happened. There aren't really any famous actors who play in this film. The biggest one would have to be Peter Coyote as the town's sheriff who is having marital problems. ROUTE 9 is one of the best made for TV movies that I have ever seen. More complications arise when the two deputies discover that one of the men killed at the site was an undercover agent (Silas Weir Mitchell) for the government...and he was still alive when they stole the money, and he had a recording device attached to his shoulder. This makes matters worse. Christopher Murray even has a part in the beginning as the ring-leader of the drug dealers. ROUTE 9 is a superior TV movie. I give it the TV movie award of excellence. Just playing. But for being a TV movie, this one wasn't bad. Let's see what else they got at Hollywood. 5/5.

I loved it!

[sagehannah · 10/10 · 15 February 2024]

The film is very good and I enjoyed it a lot, It has very good acting in it and the storyline/plot is very good. Kyle MacLachlan plays one of the lead roles and he is a very underrated actor and I enjoy his films very much, including this one. I give the film 10/10 because I was entertained throughout the full film and It was a great!! I recommend it.

The film is very good and I enjoyed it a lot, It has very good acting in it and the storyline/plot is very good. Kyle MacLachlan plays one of the lead roles and he is a very underrated actor and I enjoy his films very much, including this one. I give the film 10/10 because I was entertained throughout the full film and It was a great!! I recommend it.

Seen it all before and better

[bob the moo · 21 September 2003]

In a small town, deputy's Booth Parker and Earl Whitney are looking for a missing dog when they come across a drug deal which has gone wrong. They find over a million dollars in one of the cars and, with everyone of the criminals dead, they decide to keep it. One criminal is still alive and Earl kills him to cover their tracks. However the next day Agent Ellen Marks arrives in the town to investigate further as one of the `criminals' was an undercover DEA agent who had not only told his superiors about the money in the car, but was also wearing a tape recorder on the job. As they try to cover their tracks, Booth and Earl's simple plan gets more and more out of control.

The plot will be familiar to anyone who has seen more than a few movies in their life! The most recent comparison will the Rami's A Simple Plan, but there are plenty of films where the plot is, in essence the same as this. However this is not a problem if it is done well, the aforementioned film was very enjoyable and delivered well. However Route 9 feels tired and old before it even really gets started. The basic plot is OK but it is never really as tense as it could have been, at some points the twists that are introduced to keep the main characters in a state of flux are a little too much and the web becomes more tangled rather than ensnaring.

The film doesn't really develop the characters beyond what we expect from them. Instead of them being real people they are simply the type of characters one would expect to find in this type of film – this takes away from the film as it never got me on that level. The cast do average work though despite this. MacLachlan is pretty good in the lead and does have to carry the film's moral centre, Williams has it easy as the reckless side. Support from names such as Coyote, Maffia, Sandoval etc is all OK but no one really manages to rise above the material.

Overall it is not a bad film in itself. However the problem is that it doesn't seem to want to distinguish itself in any way. It takes a familiar story line, fills it with characters who will be known to everyone as they are so thinly developed so as to be types rather than people and lets the action go just where you knew it would. Passable but this has been done much better than this.

Well made alternate version of A Simple Plan - simply see both!

[Geofbob · 17 August 2001]

Made for TV in the same year, this thriller has similarities to A Simple Plan, but is sufficiently different and good enough to stand comparison with that better known movie. In any case the broad plot outline of both is as old as the Hollywood Hills - easy money goes to the heads of people who should know better; their foolproof scam runs into unforeseen events; and the thieves fall out. The acting is uniformly convincing, with Peter Coyote as a Sheriff with marital problems; Kyle MacLachlan and Wade Williams as his two Deputies (and perps); and an impressive Roma Maffia as a Federal Agent. The desert setting is perhaps a little too familiar; but the action keeps moving along, there are some really unexpected twists, and an infidelity subplot is cleverly woven into the main story.