Continuing Sundance Channel’s very European approach to drama, “The Red Road” grinds along slowly, a mere six-episode series with the same languid pace as the network’s earlier foray, “Rectify.” In this later case, the format doesn’t entirely work, although it does create enough tension — thanks in large part to the scary, visually imposing presence of “Game of Thrones” alum Jason Momoa — to pull the audience along through this “Road’s” modest twists and turns. While certainly not bad, the series would be better if it came with fewer built-in speed bumps, and a little more narrative momentum.
Momoa plays Phillip, an ex-con who grew up on a Native-American reservation, and who looks like the last guy in the world anyone would want to mess with even when he’s standing perfectly still. “Did you kill him in the house?” he asks a slightly twitchy friend, merely part of the underlying mysteries that series creator Aaron Guzikowski (working with showrunner Bridget Carpenter) exhibits little interest in rushing to disgorge.
Related Stories
VIP+Sports Is Traditional TV’s Hail Mary, Despite Pressure From Streaming
'Venom 3' Slinks to $51 Million, Lowest Opening Weekend of Comic Book Trilogy
The central conflict, meanwhile, stems from a relationship between Phillip’s little brother (Kiowa Gordon), a virtual stranger to him; and Rachel (Allie Gonino), the daughter of Harold (Martin Henderson), a local sheriff in Walpole, N.J.
Popular on Variety
Harold’s wife (Julianne Nicholson) is none too happy about this across-the-tracks romance, and her mental troubles begin leading the characters down a path rife with tragic consequences, slicked by the fact that Phillip is engaged in nefarious activities on behalf of his grizzled father (Tom Sizemore), making his interactions with Harold all the more suspect and uncomfortable. Having grown up in the same small town, there’s also an element of history that adds wrinkles to the story.
Like “Rectify,” six episodes is probably more than enough to get a sense of whether the concept is working. But getting by on mood-centric atmosphere is a delicate balancing act, and while Momoa projects the aura of a very mercurial dude who might go off at a moment’s notice, dangling the threat without much in the way of action only goes so far. (Lisa Bonet, incidentally, joins the show in the third episode.)
Credit Sundance with rather quickly finding a tone that distinguishes the channel from other players in the drama game, dabbling in an indie-film sensibility that dovetails with the movies it offers.
Still, there is a distinction between daring to follow a road less traveled and actually delivering a series that makes viewers want to hang around, even if it’s just for the short haul.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsTV Review: ‘The Red Road’
(Series; Sundance Channel, Thurs. Feb. 27, 9 p.m.)
More from Variety
‘Pedro Páramo’ Review: Rodrigo Prieto Respectfully Adapts One of Mexico’s Most Famous Novels in Surreal Debut
Apple Deal Is Just a Piece of Amazon’s Streaming Marketplace Strategy
Entertainment Everywhere: A Special Report
Most Popular
Anna Kendrick Was Terrified to Act With George Clooney on ‘Up in the Air’ Until He Told Her on Set: ‘I Get Insecure. Did They Even Hire the Right…
Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees
Ray Romano’s Identical Twin Sons Confront Their Quarter-Life Crisis, Codependency and Growing Up With a Famous Dad in Their New Documentary
Ridley Scott Says Joaquin Phoenix Got Cold Feet on ‘Gladiator’ and Said ‘I Can’t Do It’; Then Russell Crowe Called It ‘Terribly Unprofessional…
Tony Todd, ‘Candyman’ and ‘Final Destination’ Star, Dies at 69
‘Joker 2’ Actor Says It’s ‘the Worst Film Ever Made’ and People on Set Said ‘This Is Going to Bomb’: ‘It’s Not Even Hate-Watchable. That’s How…
Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Elon Musk Calling Him a ‘Propaganda Puppet’: ‘Listen Kermit, You Bought Twitter’
16-Year-Old Josh Brolin Tried to Make His ‘Goonies’ Character Super Deep; Then Steven Spielberg Told Him: ‘Just Act. Just Say What’s on the Page…
Denis Villeneuve Says ‘I Don’t Care’ If Quentin Tarantino Refuses to Watch ‘Dune,’ but ‘What I Did Was Not a Remake … I See This as an Original…
Nicholas Hoult Heard on the Radio That Robert Pattinson Was Batman and ‘I Was Auditioning Next Weekend’; Losing Role Was an ‘Emotional Blow…
Must Read
- Film
COVER | ‘Is the Sperm Still in There?’: Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey on Making ‘Queer’
By Andrew Wallenstein 5 days
- Film
The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time
- Biz
Hollywood's New Leaders of 2024
- Music
15 Best Samples of Quincy Jones' Music, From Kanye West to the Weeknd to Harry Styles
- TV
Marvel's 2025 TV Slate Revealed, Including First Looks at ‘Wonder Man,’ Animated 'Spider-Man' and 'Wakanda' Shows
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKAjq2taKqVq7amw9Joq69loprDqrHWZquhnV2nsqV50aiYnWVhZ31yfZBub3FvXw%3D%3D