Review of Rudderless (2014) by Nathan M — 02 Feb 2015

With stylish and assured direction from first-time director William H. Macy and some pretty great performances, Rudderless is a film that starts out so strong that you can't help but be saddened when it runs off the tracks in the final forty five minutes. For the first hour of this film I was pretty invested in the story of Billy Crudup's character Sam as he tries to connect with his deceased son and find some catharsis by playing his music. Crudup seems perfectly cast as this dad who wishes he could have done more to help his son throughout his life, and is struggling to move past his grief.

The music is really enjoyable, and with a great supporting performance from Anton Yelchin and Laurence Fishburne, Rudderless is an enjoyable journey for the most part. It follows a rather predictable path throughout it's run time, but Macy tends to stray away from manipulative sentimentality and rather is confident in his story and his direction to allow the film to draw you in.

Unfortunately, there is a twist that gets introduced in the middle of the second act, which not only took me off guard, but recast the film in a conflicting light that was unnecessary. It felt like a shock for shock factor sake, and didn't serve the film, instead it served to just confuse and leave me feeling conflicted. If this had been a film that was trying to make you deal with complex issues, it might have been handled more delicately. However, this film's structure and tone does not support or allow the film to really delve deep into these issues.

In that way, the film becomes directionless, or Rudderless, if you will. And for the last forty five minutes you can't help but wonder if the film would have been better without the twist. It doesn't make the film terrible, but it definitely recasts the film's impact in a negative way.