''Paradise Highway'' is a 2022

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

written and directed by Anna Gutto in her feature length debut and starring

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 60 films, particularly in French and English, and has been the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Juliette Binoche, numerous accolades, ...

Frank Grillo Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for playing Brock Rumlow / Crossbones in the superhero franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Sergeant Leo Barnes in ''The Purge'' franchise, and Rick Flag Sr. in ...

, and

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

. An international co-production between the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, the film was released in the United States on July 29, 2022, by

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

Plot

To save the life of her brother, truck driver Sally reluctantly agrees to smuggle illicit cargo, a girl named Leila. As they begin a danger-fraught journey across state lines, a dogged FBI operative sets out on their trail, determined to do whatever it takes to terminate a human-trafficking operation and bring Sally and Leila to safety.

Cast

Production

The film is an international co-production between the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, produced by

Grindstone Entertainment Group Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions Gate until 2005, and formerly Cinépix Film Properties until 1998) is a Canadian-American film production and distribution company founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 15, 1962. It was owned by Lionsgate ...

and Silver Reel; they confirmed the lead cast of

and

in July 2021. Filming occurred in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

and

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...

, in July 2021. Filming also took place in

Brookhaven, Mississippi Brookhaven is a city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States, south of the state capital of Jackson. The population was 11,674 people at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the town of Brook ...

. As of August 2021, the film was in post-production. In October 2021, it was announced that

acquired North American distribution rights to the film.

Release

The film was released in theaters and

on-demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until an ...

in the United States by

on July 29, 2022. The film was also shown at the

Locarno Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

in August 2022.

Reception

Critical response

Joe Leydon of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called the film "A shrewdly constructed melodrama that does not transcend cliches and conventions so much as show how useful and effective they can be in the right hands". Robert Daniels of ''

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

'' wrote: "''Paradise Highway'' is the kind wayward, tonally muddled project an actress the caliber of Binoche would only sign onto if promises were broken and payback was required". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''s Concepción de León had this to say about ''Paradise Highway'': "Though it is refreshing to see members of law enforcement focused on recovering and supporting a victim rather than pursuing her abusers, it does not allow for much narrative tension".

Box office

''Paradise Highway'' was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

and streaming services in North America, but did earn $222,607 at the box office in other territories.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paradise Highway 2022 thriller films 2022 films 2022 directorial debut films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films American thriller films English-language German films English-language Swiss films Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films about human trafficking in the United States Films set in Arkansas Films set in Mississippi Films set in Tennessee Films shot in Mississippi German thriller films Lionsgate films Swiss thriller films Trucker films English-language thriller films