Crossroads **** (1986, Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca, Jami Gertz) – Classic Movie Review 2596

Director Walter Hill’s fresh and original 1986 drama stars Ralph Macchio, who is extremely winsome as Eugene Martone, a bright-eyed and extraordinarily talented classical guitar musician who dreams of being a famous blues guitarist.

While investigating a long-lost song he wants to record, he discovers a crotchety legendary old blues singer, Willie Brown (Joe Seneca), in a Harlem old people’s hospital prison and asks him for help. Willie demands his freedom from the place and Eugene takes him home to Mississippi to really learn the blues.

This remarkable little musical dramatic feature, inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson, is delicate, low-key and charming. A real, exciting surprise from the macho director Hill, it is excellent. 

Also in the cast are Jamie Gertz, Joe Morton, Robert Judd and Harry Carey Jr.

Crossroads is written by John Fusco, a travelling blues musician before attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he wrote the screenplay as a as his master’s thesis. It won first place in the national FOCUS Awards and was sold to Columbia Pictures for $250,000 while Fusco was still a student.

The rousing blues music from Hill’s regular composer Ry Cooder is an enormous asset. Cooder and Steve Vai feature on the soundtrack’s guitar, with harmonica by Sonny Terry. Vai also appears in the film as the devil’s guitar player in the climactic guitar duel. Blues legend Frank Frost also makes a cameo.

Cooder spent a year working on the soundtrack but he said the film ‘went down the tubes’, taking only $5,839,000 in the US.

Shooting took place on location in Louisiana as well as Hollywood.

The TV version edits for the strong language.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2596

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