Blackway Trailer

Trailer for Blackway, starring Julia Stiles, Alexander Ludwig and Anthony Hopkins.

Blackway is a suspenseful thriller set against the rugged backdrop of a Pacific Northwest logging community. When a young woman, Lillian (Julia Stiles), returns to her hometown after the death of her mother, she unwittingly raises the interest and eventual ire of Blackway (Ray Liotta), a crazed ex-cop turned violent crime lord. Blackway's stalking and relentless harassment force Lillian to seek help from the faint-hearted local sheriff who advises her to leave town. Undaunted, she forms an unlikely alliance with a retired logger (Anthony Hopkins), who is still grieving over the loss of his daughter, and carries his own secret vendetta against Blackway. Together with a young, introverted friend (Alexander Ludwig), the threesome set out for justice and revenge against the sociopathic Blackway, leading them on a violent, perilous journey that culminates in a face to face showdown with their nemesis.

Blackway, originally titled Go With Me, took a bit of time to find a distributor. The film both announced and wrapped production in 2014, only announcing its theatrical run over a year later in 2016. While that doesn't exactly instill confidence in the project, the cast is pretty dang strong, with Anthony Hopkins being one of the first castmembers to come aboard.

The film is based on the book Go With Me by Castle Freeman Jr. The book received mediocre reviews from critics and readers alike. The tale is said to be inspired by King Arthur Tales, specifically the Tale of Sir Gareth. A modernized adaptation, obviously.

If there is one thing noticeable in the Blackway trailer is the thriller's ensemble cast. The editing is a bit strange, but all the cast seem to be performing up to expectation. Yes, I can't shake the idea that no larger distributor wanted to pick the film up for a theatrical run, but maybe it's because backwoods thrillers have been overdone? Spitballing here. Or maybe I'm troubled because the film did its festival run under the title of Go With Me, only to change for distribution. A move to possibly hide from festival reviews?

Hard to say, as the film looks far from bad, but it does look as close as you can get to bland.