Paradise Highway

Paradise Highway is a 2022 thriller film written and directed by Anna Gutto in her feature length debut and starring Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo, and Morgan Freeman. 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.

Paradise Highway
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anna Gutto
Written by	Anna Gutto
Produced by	Claudia Bluemhuber Georgia Bayliff Michael Leahy Anna Gutto
Starring	Juliette Binoche Frank Grillo Hala Finley Cameron Monaghan Veronica Ferres Christiane Seidel Morgan Freeman Connor Adkins
Cinematography	John Christian Rosenlund
Edited by	Christian Siebenherz
Music by	Anné Kulonen
Production companies	Grindstone Entertainment Group Silver Reel
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release date	July 29, 2022 (2022-07-29) (United States)
Running time	115 minutes
Countries	United States Germany Switzerland
Language	English
Box office	$222,607

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

• Juliette Binoche as Sally
• Frank Grillo as Dennis
• Hala Finley as Leila
• Cameron Monaghan as FBI Special Agent Finley Sterling
• Veronica Ferres as Rose
• Christiane Seidel as Claire
• Morgan Freeman as Gerick
• Connor Adkins as Random gay kid
• Angel Gwin as Green Jersey girl

Production

The film is an international co-production between the United States, Germany, and Switzerland,^[1] produced by Grindstone Entertainment Group and Silver Reel; they confirmed the lead cast of Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo and Morgan Freeman in July 2021.^[2]

Filming occurred in Jackson and Clarksdale, Mississippi, in July 2021.^[3] Filming also took place in Brookhaven, Mississippi.^[4]

As of August 2021, the film was in post-production.^[5] In October 2021, it was announced that Lionsgate acquired North American distribution rights to the film.^[6]

Release

The film was released in theaters and on-demand in the United States by Lionsgate on July 29, 2022.^[7][8] The film was also shown at the Locarno Festival in August 2022.^[9]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "No need to fasten your seatbelts; alleged thriller Paradise Highway leads a talented ensemble through a predictable, seat-numbing ride."^[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[11]

Joe Leydon of Variety 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".^[12] Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com 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".^[13] The New York Times'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".^[14]

Box office

Paradise Highway was released direct-to-video and streaming services in North America, but did earn $222,607 at the box office in other territories.^[15]

References

1. Goodfellow, Melanie (July 6, 2022). "Brad Pitt-Starrer 'Bullet Train' To Kick-Off Switzerland's Locarno Film Festival, Lakeside Festival Unveils 75th Edition Selections, Juries". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
2. Corder, Frank (July 2, 2021). . Y'all Politics. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
3. Parikh, Nina (July 1, 2021). "The magic that Mississippi offers to international film productions". Screen Daily (Press release). Mississippi Film Office. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
4. Campbell, Brett (August 25, 2021). "Wesson family becomes 'Yellowstone' family". The Daily Leader. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
5. Rawden, Jessica (August 11, 2021). "Morgan Freeman Reveals The Career First He Got To Do With Ryan Reynolds On The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard". CinemaBlend. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 19, 2021). "Lionsgate Boards Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo & Morgan Freeman Thriller 'Paradise Highway'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
7. O'Rourke, Ryan (July 10, 2022). "'Paradise Highway' Trailer Has Morgan Freeman and Juliette Binoche Caught in a Human Trafficking Operation". Collider. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
8. McArdle, Tommy (July 7, 2022). "See Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman in Pulse-Pounding Trailer for Paradise Highway". People. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
9. Vlessing, Etan (July 6, 2022). "Locarno Film Festival Lineup Includes Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
10. "Paradise Highway". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 3, 2024.  
11. "Paradise Highway". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
12. Leydon, Joe (July 28, 2022). "'Paradise Highway' Review: Juliette Binoche and Newcomer Hala Finley Are On the Road and On the Run In a Solidly Crafted Thriller". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
13. Daniels, Robert (July 29, 2022). "Paradise Highway". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
14. de León, Concepción (July 28, 2022). "'Paradise Highway' Review: A Test of Loyalty". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
15. "Paradise Highway". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 3, 2024. 

External links

• Paradise Highway at IMDb  
• Paradise Highway at AllMovie