The Clint Eastwood completism is starting to hurt. Here he directed and starred. The script is by John Lee Hancock. Kevin Costner leads.
After a pro-forma jailbreak from somewhere in Texas circa 1962, Costner and cellmate Keith Szarabajka load up on food and hostages at a nearby town before embarking on a road trip across Texas. The destination is withheld for reasons unknown, and when revealed the motivation is weak. The crowd in the car thins to Costner and child T.J. Lowther, neither of whom puts in the best performance ever committed to celluloid. Clint follows behind in a commandeered caravan/remote command post with Laura Dern doing what she can in a stereotypically blokey environment. There's the odd interesting bit along the way and some stuff that didn't make sense, like Costner threatening a helpful black family; he makes for a tepid psychopath. Throughout we know we're going to end up in the grass beside Costner, all of us hoping the end would come sooner than it does. The concluding 30 minutes is the purest American hokum.
Roger Ebert: four stars. I don't remember Costner ever being all that silent. I somehow missed "Dottie’s Squat and Gobble". Janet Maslin.
