End of the Road (II) (2022) User Reviews

pffft....

[NullUnit · 4/10 · 11 September 2022]

TRYING to disregard all the obvious social "messages" in this...

This was decent for the first half, act one. Where they are merely building characters.

Catalyst happens, act two....

If you have half a brain you INSTANTLY know who "Mr Cross" (The bad guy) is. Because of this, act two feels more like going through the motions. The repeated "mystery" behind Mr Cross is somewhat pointless because you will probably already know who it is.

The reveal, act three....

From here.. It's exceptionally fitting that Ludacris is starring in this film... because it all gets so very, very, very, ludicrous. It almost borders on an unintentional comedy. There are too many logic errors to list - wild leaps that wouldn't really be possible.

All the acting was good, the constant unnatural lighting was an odd choice... purple, orange, green, pink.... never just normal lights. Made it visually more interesting.

Overall it was an okay watch, but don't really expect too much.

Regarding the "propaganda" aspect.....

I would say the "message" here of exceptional bigotry by white characters is not really a good message for younger audiences. Portraying all white people as racist is no different than portraying all black people as pimp, hookers, or murderous drug dealers --- it's simply not true. Ya can't paint things with such a broad brush. While I don't deny bigotry exists.. I've never seen it to the extent expressed later in this film. And to be perfectly honest, I think it worked pretty well in act one of this film when it first rears its ugly head. However, all the usage after that scene was pointless and didn't add to the story in ANY way.

I honestly wonder if these films which portray such bold, in-your-face, clearly defined, racism are not teaching mechanisms for younger viewers. And while this film avoided any white character using the N word.. it got as close as possible without it. So are they somehow showing younger white viewers what's "okay" in terms of how white people think of and act towards black people?? There's no subtlety in this film, no nuance - which is most commonly what actual racism looks like today. And there are no consequences for the racism, no pushback by other white characters.... it's simply portrayed as "that's what all white people think."

Yes, this is the end of the road - LOL

[heinigrunbaum-786-20424 · 1/10 · 11 September 2022]

Everything is mediocre in this movie. Script, acting, photography, director, production design, etc. Typical lefthanded copy-paste of the worst kind. And what's up with the purple lighting? Is it so not to make the movie too scary? Don't worry. There's nothing scary about this movie. The acting and how the scenes are composed together are so untrustworthy that you won't feel scared, ever! Only every two minutes you will be wondering why you are still watching?! And that's a kind of scary feeling. The producers should have taken the same actors and the same script (maybe a different director?!) and made a Comedy. That might have worked.

Dodgy script and direction make a dud film

[gordypix · 2/10 · 11 September 2022]

Another example of a need to churn out films at a fast rate for an eager audience. Netflix is rushing out way too many films and risking the reputations of actors by doing so.

The lead actors must have been quite misguided to take this project as they are way better than the resulting film produced here. A mishmash of a road trip type movie we've all seen before but redone in a shoddy way.

Not even a hint of realism as the story progresses but the writers must shoulder the blame for that and the Director surely could see what was resulting from the bad writing. Take more time on the scripts please!!!

Give it a watch if you like Queen Latifah and Ludicris but don't expect their finest work.

Oh Luda.....You cant need the money this bad.

[ronan73 · 3/10 · 12 September 2022]

I really really tried with this one because of the number of actors that have decent names. I even ignored the very very repetitive r@cism tropes. I still struggled with the off button. But I did make it to the end. Just!

It was very tired old/ old fashioned. Very repetitive. Poorly over acted. And weirdly directed.

The slow increase of purple lighting made me think old horror movies. Very odd. It felt like the director was trying to portray it as a dream where the whole thing is a story of a black womans struggle to have a better life with white people constantly holding her back...but the movie wasnt done well enough to leave that impression.

The "baddy" was super obvious from the very beginning. Bit of a waste.

I have liked Luda for decades and hes also acted in decent stuff but LUDA..what you thinking?

Queen Latifa seems to be portrayed as a super athletic bad ass recently but I genuinely dont see what producers see. There are hundreds of black women that could portray a bad ass and make it more believable. Her close up fight scenes look very dated and only used because she isnt an athletic bad ass.

The scene where she not only takes out a muscle bound ex UFC fighter with very few blows but she also takes out a whole gang of r@cist drug dealers made me pick up the remote to finally go to turn it off..but I thought NOPE, I shall finish this like the hero I am.

And what is it with every white person being r@cist? I mean I get having white people as baddies but do they all have to be r@cist baddies.lol... The r@cism was strong with this one, mostly not very subtle at all. Even Ludas character was a r@cist cliché.

But a black female director who has spent god knows how many years behind the camera obviously has a story to tell..But these heavy handed messages with a weak story isnt the way to get the message out. Its bores people. Just read the terrible reviews. They missed the smaller subtle messages in this movie because they were busy rolling their eyes with the big loud r@cist tropes.

There were subtle micro aggressions that were excellent but then BOOM..a massive r@cist bomb ruins the whole thing.

I absolutely genuinely think ""R@CISM"" is a new movie genre..like slashers were in the 1980s.

Watch if really bored and dont know all white people are r@cist..

WHITE PEOPLE ARE EVIL!

[dustinjones-04015 · 7/10 · 11 September 2022]

Or at least the people behind this movie think so. I'd say the most evil white person is the dude listed in the credits as a writer, the dialogue in this film is bad. I'm sorry to undersell it, it's not just bad it's dang near terrible but the film doesn't seem to know it. It feels like the director wanted a serious film but the writer wanted hobo with a shotgun and the movie could have been great if it would have committed one way or the other. And look I freaking love Queen Latifah, her Chris and Beau are the reason I watched this movie but man did they get done dirty with this weird half woke half assed script. Yet they still gave it there all. I will say on a positive note the low budget cinematography is really pretty rad and some gems are hidden throughout the movie it's not all bad. I'd recommend watching it just don't go in thinking it's as serious as the trailer made it seem and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

A solid if familiar genre thriller with good turns by Queen Latifah and Chris Bridges and a strong feature debut for director Millicent Shelton

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 9 September 2022]

Following the loss of her husband Jake to cancer that has also left the family with crippling medical debt, ER Nurse and single mother Brenda Freeman (Queen Latifah) sells her home in Los Angeles and takes her two children, Kelly (Mychala Lee) and Cameron "Cam" (Sahun Dixon), and her younger brother Reggie Beaumont (Chris Bridges) across country from Los Angeles, California to live with Brenda's mother in Houston, Texas. During their stay at a roadside motel in Arizona, the family hears an altercation followed by gunfire in the neighboring room and after the assailant speeds away Brenda and Reggie go next door to find a man with a shot to the neck whom Brenda tries to save to no avail. After giving their statement to the police, the family continues onward but eventually Brenda receives a phone call angrily demanding money and Brenda learns that Reggie took a bag of money from the hotel room intent on using it to help the family get a fresh start. Meanwhile Arizona State Trooper Captain JD Hammers (Beau Bridges) tries to find the Freeman's believing the altercation at the motel may be linked to ruthless and enigmatic drug lord Mr. Cross.

End of the Road is the latest genre film from Netflix and comes to us from seasoned screenwriter David Loughery and first-time feature director Millicent Shelton who has previously worked extensively in TV and music videos. Shelton had stated her intention with the film was into tapping into the social status of Black Americans and using a traditional thriller setup to convey that. The movie is pretty familiar in its structure and is reminiscent of those cookie cutter thrillers Screen Gems such as No Good Deed, Obsessed, The Perfect Man or The Intruder that take time tested thriller concepts you remember from the genre's boon in the mid-90s and use them as low to mid budget vehicles for established black leads such as Idris Elba, Morris Chestnut, or Michael Ealy. The film is well trodden ground for screenwriter Loughery who has penned a number of those kinds of thrillers including Lakeview Terrace, Obsessed, and The Intruder and while those movies aren't groundbreaking, there is a sort of silly charm you get from them especially when you watch them opening day in the theater in a packed house with a lot of that audience energy making for a fun time as their reactions are often as much a part of the experience as the movie itself. While it is a little disappointing not to have the option of seeing this movie in a packed house, this is slightly above average in quality in comparison to some of those other examples and the film features solid likable leads and strong direction by Shelton who shows solid handling of simple material in her first time helming a feature.

The movie makes no secret of what it is as the movie only clocks in at about 82 minutes not including credits and it uses that time efficiently as we're introduced to the characters and situation effectively establishing everyone in the family and giving us some solid and surprisingly likable character moments with some of the interactions between the family such as conversations in the car or horseplay in the hotel room making the characters endearing enough they could've sustained a film even without the "money in a bag" thriller setup we end up with. Queen Latifah is really good as Brenda and she sells the role as a determined but very sad mother and you do root for her as a protagonist. Chris Bridges is also very good as Brenda's brother Reggie who's positioned as being a screwup, but a well meaning one who does try and with the best of intentions. I also though Mychala Lee and Shaun Dixon were quite good as the kids and while kids in these kind of thriller films can sometimes become grating, I felt Loughery did enough to sidestep that pitfall and make them kind of endearing if not particularly substantive.

Now I will say this movie is pretty familiar territory with most of the beats of the plot not deviating all that far from the established norm right down to the fact that the faceless "Mr. Cross" character is positioned as a reveal, and you know pretty much from the first time a character is introduced that you think "that guy did it!" and you'll be right. The movie doesn't have much in the way of surprises, but it's rollercoaster entertainment that keeps things fast, tense, and relentless with some sequences of tension such as a confrontation with two peckerwoods or the motel sequence being points where your breathing will stop and wonder "what's going to happen?". We also get some really memorable night shots with Shelton bathing the scenes in a violet light that gives those shots a unique visual identity and is a welcome change from many thrillers that often use the dark as a cost saving measure and you can only view vague silhouettes of what's going on rather than enjoy the action.

I enjoyed End of the Road for what it was, a well made quick thriller that kept me invested and didn't overstay its welcome. Both Latifah and Bridges are really good in the movie, and Shelton shows a strong handling of the material that does make me think she has a future as a reliable genre director. On a side note I was appreciative of the fact this movie went for an R-Rating when many Screen Gems movies often go for a PG-13 and make this kind of film feel like a "movie of the week" you should be watching on Lifetime or TNT so that also helps elevate it a bit more than your typical genre piece.

Wow!! & Not In A Good Way...

[sheseesthrees · 1/10 · 10 September 2022]

Where to Begin or End. I thought it would be a great film or atleast had potential with actors or at minimum be satire, but no it was meant as a serious film. D RATED actors couldve done better if it was seriously meant to be a serious film. No spoilers as the movie will do that for you. When I say satire I mean all the actors characters seem to be a mockery of clueless white people and it just gets worse from there. In first 5 mins you'll figure out what's happening. Actors acting was horrendous. I'm ashamed for the actors in this "film". I take it as a easy weekend paycheck. Watch at your own risk!

It was fun!

[brtikhon · 8/10 · 14 October 2022]

The reviewers here are a bunch of kill-joys! Sure the movie was formulaic and corny but I enjoyed the role reversals and the plot twists. Queen Latifah played her signature "don't-mess-with-me" character of Brenda very well. Ludacris played a somewhat misdirected Uncle Reggie and Mychala Lee and Shaun Dixon were great and believable as loving, supportive kids. I even enjoyed Beau Bridges and Frances Lee McCain as badasses. When I elected to watch this movie I wasn't expecting an Academy Award performance from any of them. Nor was I expecting a superlative script. Jeez people! Lighten up! Was it a great movie? No. Was it enjoyable? I think so.

Really???

[splodgie7 · 1/10 · 9 September 2022]

I rely heavily on IMDb reviews to help me choose what I watch. It's the first thing I check when my husband suggests a movie, and for the most part, IMDb user reviews seem to get it right for me. But apparently this is new out today, and there were no reviews yet for it, so I had no reason to tell my husband no when he suggested it! We went in blind but I'm m not sure we're going to make it to the end. My daughter complains that I don't like anything, so I tried to give it a proper go, but I'm sorry, this one is just ridiculous. Unbelievable plot, unbelievable characters, stupid script and a wasted Beau Bridges.

To Racially Charged

[LeonardPinthGarnell · 24 April 2023]

This reminded me of a racist cops and robbers movie from the 70's with roles of races switched to accommodate a new era in bad theater and hatefulness being sewn through scripts in Hollywood these days. The weak plot is not the biggest disappointment. It was not bad acting. It is the predictable characters and the obvious cliches. Writers tried too hard to make decent one liners. They came out poorly timed and not funny.

I think that the saving grace for this film and why I was able to give it more than one star was the young actor Shaun Dixon. He earned the other stars for my rating. He was awesome and you can tell he worked hard in the role. I look forward to seeing him in future movies.

It could have been a much better movie had it not try so hard to be racist. It was almost cartoonish. So unnecessary and unwanted in this country's current atmosphere.

An alright film for weekend viewing

[BenW1999 · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

End of the road was just an alright film. It did have a twist which I really didn't expect in the slightest. The acting was good. One thing I kept asking though, is WHY was there purple neon lights everywhere? Wherever the family went, it was if they were in a massive greenhouse under purple grow lights almost the entire time, is this normal for the part of the US they're in? Movie uses the "All yt people are evil" trope but that's probably how that area of the US is so I'm not surprised it wasn't scared to be geographically accurate. The ending seemed a bit deus ex machina though. Was just an okay film for the weekend viewing.

A cheesy b*movie with a tired scipt

[t-d-t-m82 · 6/10 · 11 September 2022]

Not really sure why this film is generating so much racist hatred. Perhaps people should live lives like others before understanding.

It is a formulated script. It's mundane and not the best. There's some nice action sequences. The Nazis are hilarious. The over-acting is frustrating.

It's just another popcorn road movie about a struggling family who tries to do well. It's not that fresh but it does have important political messages like BLM and white hate friction. Funny seeing "tough" nazis being beaten-up.

Sadly due to the average plot and lacklustre stor line it's an average movie at best. Some nice dolly sequences on the cars. Solid camera direction. The positive message and nice cinema sequences just about gives it a six from me.

Boring, Long Winded, Stupid

[AvidMovieWatcherX · 2/10 · 12 September 2022]

This is a terrible movie. An hour and a half wasted. All the white people were bad. All the black people tried to be good people. I mean, forget the stupidity of social politics. It doesn't matter what color anyone is. They should've killed people who were trying to kill them. Good job trying to take the high road when people are trying to kill you. That's not reality. But again, reality isn't even reality anymore. This movie is awful. It's not worth watching. I'd rather watch Morbius and that was pretty terrible too, but not as terrible as this movie. Go watch something more fun like Minions.

Great movie, ignore the low ratings.

[szaszkarol · 10/10 · 27 September 2022]

This was a great movie. It had lots of action , amazing performance from Queen Latifah (like always). I just don't understand what people want these days from a movie. It's a movie, it's entertaining, it's got a story,a great twist and I enjoyed it.

So give it a chance and watch it's it's nothing new,but it's worth a watch. At least one. Ok, the Low ratings? I don't understand them.

What exactly are people asking from a movie? I've seen a few boring movies that have a rating above 6. This one is not boring, it's got what it needs. Entertainment.

I would definitely recommend and will recommend to my friends.

Not bad

[battlecrusadersgames · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

Here's a low budget thriller that never manages to overly excite or thrill, but isn't a total turkey either.

The story is about a family that after losing the man of the family have to move house to a different state, but en-route, they run into some serious trouble and lives become at stake. I like the simple nature of this story and it could have been a very tense, nail biting thriller, but it is let down by the several flaws it has. Firstly and most relevantly is that the characters make some seriously bad decisions, which cause a bit of unrealism.

There's also some shockingly fight scenes that could have been plucked from a comedy.

Another issue was the obvious use of Green Screens. I'm not sure why they even needed them in a film essentially shot mostly in a car. If i can see when it's a green screen, i tend to not be impressed. Also how come that everyone seems to take all the events in their stride, are they used to things like this happening to their family, because in the real world most people would get serious PTSD from their bad luck.

Putting all that aside, it's still an ok movie, with a pretty good script and some good acting on Latifah's part, (not so much from Beau Bridges, who's got the Hammy-meter all the way up to max).

Oh and there's a really cool twist too towards the end which i wasn't expecting, so bonus points for that.

Sadly, as enjoyable this was in places, because of the several poor elements, i can only score this 6 out of 10.

Unimpressive

[launa-65333 · 2/10 · 12 September 2022]

I really like Queen and Luda. Having said that, this movie is a letdown. The script is terrible. It's predictable and corny. It won't let you take the movie seriously. The tropes are out of control. The emotion throughout the movie is all over the place and the soundtrack is dreadful. Its just so unbelievably unbelievable. Its like it was written 25 years ago and someone decided to make it today. Also the White people are completely crazy and the Black people are oddly docile. Both Queen and Luda are better actors than this. It's hard to understand why any of the actors chose to be in this movie. It just wasn't well put together. It could have been a good story.

Just not good

[rcwmfwvh · 3/10 · 13 September 2022]

I love Queen Latifah and have followed her for years. She was brilliant in Chicago! I'm just not understanding why any form of racism is ok.

I would have hoped in todays times she would have been better and held herself to a higher standard.

If I was from Arizona I would definitely be offended, no matter what my color is!! Lol

I've been through Arizona many times and have yet to run across the people portrayed. The acting was below par and the story line was way too ridiculous for me.

The creepy housekeeper watching her go upstairs with the bag..omg! Who wrote that part of the script 🤔 If I was a housekeeper at a hotel I would definitely be offended!! 😂

Everyone can complain about the obvious racism in the movie, but that still doesn't change that it just was not a good movie. Very disappointing.

Laughable

[franjames-58730 · 1/10 · 13 September 2022]

This was made in 2022. It looks like it was made in 1922. I found myself laughing out loud at the moments when we are supposed to be jumping out of our skin. Dreadful story. Even worse acting with a script a six year old could have written for a cartoon. The characters say one liners like "I got you now" and have monologues explaining why they are in the position they are in instead of letting the story outline their predicament. Badly directed too. The plot revolves around 90% of the characters being evolved from The Hills Have Eyes cast. It doesn't inspire me to visit America. Please don't listen to the high marks given by some reviewers. This is real bad.

A traditional thriller with some strong themes about racism and family unity.

[JohnDeSando · 15 September 2022]

Undeniably a low-rent thriller, Netflix's End of the Road throws out enough criticism of racism to light up the Southwestern sky. Mother Brenda (Queen Latifah) and family are moving from LA for Houston. Children Kelly (Mychala Lee) and Cam (Sean Dixon) with Uncle Reggie (Ludacris) are not keen at all about the move-they might have heard of the heat-and display the common stereotypes of annoyed, pre-teen and teen, and irresponsible, respectfully.

Although they meet other stereotypes along the way such as loud-mouthed white boys, corrupt lawmen, and drug lords, the real focus of the drama is the family eventually working as a unit to escape very dangerous situations, some their fault, others out of their control and in fate's. Brenda carries the weight of family responsibility, now that dad is gone from them (and, my goodness, we are reminded of his absence too many times). She handles it well with training from her dad in combat both physical and mental.

Along the way, they're treated to some Texas-sized bias and downright evil (a pile of drug money serves as the catalyst for bad on both sides of the law). No surprises in this predictable race, no insights into what makes red states run. Yet, director Millicent Shelton limits the time to 89 minutes, sparing us more cliches, and her camera work and lighting are unusually artful for a formulaic thriller.

Some effective notes creep in on the charm of family unity, once it arrives, and Queen Latifah comports herself well as the strong matriarchal single mom who doesn't need to yell cliches to guide her family to that unity. She's actually pretty cool.

No end of the road for most middling' thrillers like this. However, rewards await those who enjoy seeing Beau Bridges go over the top as a dicey sheriff and Ludacris (here billed as Chris Bridges) does semi-comic semi well. Hell or High Water End of the Road isn't, but, then that Texas thriller had Jeff Bridges.

See this is my type of film!

[dewilliams30 · 7/10 · 10 September 2022]

Definitely My type of movie. It flowed well, it was a thrill ride for sure. The suspense kept me hooked from beginning to end. I wasn't too agitated by the characters. It was overall good acting. Though the plot was predictable it was entertaining. And last but not least I was pleased with the ending and not disappointed. 👍🏾 This movie showed A road trip that makes a lot of folks like me cringe. I'm hesitant to travel by vehicle, fearful of the sundown towns and running into folks that could be responsible for making me a missing person. I'll have to get a Gofund me to help ship my things to wherever I relocate too before traveling through areas like TX and OK. Anywhere there's backwoods mindsets residing.

Morality aside

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 12 September 2022]

Or rather has reached the end of the road - no pun intended. Queen Latifah is playing it as straight as possible. She or her character is always trying her best to do the right thing - to make the right choice. Of course that backfires when you have someone like Ludacris (who is credited with his real name in the .. credits) riding with you.

The kids like him of course, who wouldn't want to have an uncle like that? Although I have to admit, I never really was into smoking, no matter what (which may be the biggest reason this got an R rating, apart from some action and violence that is). That aside, he also has some strange sense of entitlement. On the other hand, who am I to say what is right or wrong ... especially towards the end.

There is also the "twist" - which is not really one. I do believe that even if you haven't seen too many movies, you'll be able to detect ... anyway. What I was surprised by is how some people react to the bad guys name - it almost is as if someone says ... you know that baddie from Harry Potter - not going to say his name since that is not allowed I think (not because I don't remember .... noooooo) ... kidding aside, there are things that don't really work ... but if you are able to suspend your disbelief, you may be able to have fun on this ... ride (again no pun intended)

Almost Unbearable

[CinemaKing23 · 3/10 · 14 September 2022]

Listen, I'm a big Queen Lah fan... But this movie was terrible. From the very first interaction, I knew this movie was going to be rough. Ludacris looked absolutely ridiculous and his attempt to act was 'okay' at best. The writing was so bad and the characters were completely unbelievable. It was predictable and poorly thought out. Netflix movies are getting worse and worse. They're losing their edge while trying to stay woke and relevant. It's not working. I will say a couple of the action scenes were enjoyable, but that's as good as I can get. I knew exactly what was going to happen and who the villain was within the first 20 minutes. I only watched the entire thing because Queen Latifah is one of my favorites.

Considering there are slim pickings for decent watchable films out there, this Netflix gem was an entertaining watch.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 28 September 2022]

I wasn't expecting much due to the critics going hard on this one, but I surprisingly enjoyed it more than I expected. Ludacris shined as the unfit uncle, and it was great to see Beau Bridges kicking around still.

TV-show director Millicent Shelton was great directing this touching and wild saga. Although the story is nothing revolutionary to the genre, and you'll note some typical cliches, it was well acted and produced, and the decent pacing made the comfortable 89 min runtime fly by. It's an entertaining watch with some great tense moments, action and surprising twists. It's one of those "so you thought you were having a bad day" films. I'd for sure see it again. Ignore the critics, it's a fun and entertaining piece of mindless entertainment, and a well deserved 8/10 from me.

This Movie Is Luda

[EstrellaAvilaActor · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

I can't not watch a movie made in my home town. Never the less, one I auditioned for and didn't get cast! So, it is a hard start but you quickly get into ISH. I love me some Queen and Chris Bridges. They are phenomenal, of course. I never really have seen a film put together like this one. The family is one rag tag team for sure. I give the production a 9/10 . The film looked great. I think the director or editor could have made each moment w the cast a little better. It just seems flaaaat. BTW if you are in ABQ and wanna see where Brenda and her Fam lived, navigate to 1712 San Cristobal Rd SW, ABQ, NM 87104.

And YES... I did extensive research...

-EA.

The End of Good Action Movies

[Movie_Freak_2019 · 1/10 · 11 September 2022]

Gone are the days when we used to watch unbiased, entertaining, enjoyable, real action-thriller movies. Nowadays it's all about politics.

Isn't it so obvious that the movies they create today are all with an agenda and to deceive and devide us? I mean c'mon, they have started to politicize drama, comedy, horror and even Action movies too.

In my opinion the movie did not have that 'wow factor' and I think most of the acting was just 'B' rated and I wouldn't call this an action movie...more like a drame-thriller.

The only acting which was acceptable was by Beau Bridges, but the rest of the cast was just meh.

Only watch this movie if you have no other option and nothing else to watch.