Directors: George Gallo, Luca Giliberto, Francesco Cinquemani
Year: 2019
Rated R
Rating: * * Stars
Cast: John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Brendan Fraser
The Poison Rose is my latest review. Set to be released in May of this year, it's an uneventful, paperweight film noir that was directed by three people (the most notable being Midnight Run scribe, George Gallo). In addition to that, "Rose" has star John Travolta looking like The Most Interesting Man in the World. Yup, that's a shout-out to Dos Equis beer and bearded silver foxes everywhere.
So OK, The Poison Rose cements the fact that Travolta doesn't really care whether his movies are great or not. Hey it's not that his performance is bad here. It's just that "Rose" is another excuse for John to delve into twangy stature and acting self-parody. With umpteenth Southern accent and umpteenth hairpiece in tote, Johnny boy obviously forgot that he once shined in Pulp Fiction. "I like to drink, I like to smoke, and I like to gamble". That's great John Travolta. Can you channel your inner cerebration and juggle upside down too? Just kidding.
Anyway, the gist of The Poison Rose goes like this: An alcoholic detective named Carson Phillips (played by Travolta in chimney-smoking, Philip Marlowe mode) travels to Galveston, Texas to solve a murder involving a star college quarterback. Said murder might have entailed the actions of Carson's long-lost daughter (which subsequently is played by Travolta's real-life offspring, Ella Bleu Travolta).
Clocking in at just over an hour and a half, baiting atmospherics, and registering as the first time Morgan Freeman and Travolta ever shared the screen together, "Rose" has its tres directors using fade outs, wipes, and generic shootouts to move the clunky narrative along. Adjoined to that, The Poison Rose has a time setting of 1978 which feels incredibly inauthentic. Heck, it could have been 1988 or even the late 90's for all we know. Bottom line: "Rose" is an unintentional, spoofed and campy affair (even for a smoldering thriller). Sadly, it has "thorns" and lifeless stems in its side. Rating: 2 stars.
Written by Jesse Burleson
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