When I heard that Sony / Columbia Tristar was going to release “Crossroads” on DVD, I was terrified at the prospect that I would have to review it. After all, how in the world was I going to sit through a movie starring (Heaven help me!) Brittany Spears? I can barely stand to listen to her screech through her music (and I use that term lightly) and immediately flip the channel if she happens to have a concert on. Then one day, the DVD showed up and I was relieved to find out that it wasn’t THAT “Crossroads” at all. It was a little heard of film from the mid 1980’s that I had almost forgotten about. This “Crossroads” stars Ralph Macchio as Eugene Bartone, a wannabe Blues guitarist who sets out on the road in search of fame, fortune, or at least to learn the elusive secret of the Blues. He searches out the legendary Blues harmonica player, Willie Brown (Joe Seneca) and gets him out of an old folks home. Together they travel the highways and byways, determined to meet their respective destinies.

I remember going to see “Crossroads” years ago, when it was first released in theatres. I’m not really even sure what drew me to it, except perhaps the fact that I had enjoyed Macchio’s performances in the “The Karate Kid” films and looked forward to seeing him in a different role. I seem to recall hearing that there was an appearance by Steve Vai, who I considered at the time to be one of the world’s best guitarists. I was glad I saw the film then, and even more so that I’ve gotten to opportunity to see it again after so many years.

Adding to the fact that the performances were solid and the music was terrific, the storyline delivered far more than I had originally expected. I initially thought I was going to see no more than a ‘road’ picture with these two characters getting on each others nerves. I figured there would be a little comedy and some good music. While the movie was abundant in both, I was surprised to see a strong undercurrent of the supernatural. It seems ol’ Willie Brown was on a quest to break a contract he made with the devil, and Martone is well on his way to signing one himself. There is even a major “The Devil Came down to Georgia” moment, where Martone must beat Steve Vai’s character in a blues contest.

What I love about the movie is that this undercurrent of the supernatural stays just that… an undercurrent. There are signs and portents, but you never really see any real manifestation of anything demonic, and that is the film’s strength. It keeps the story within the realm of the believable. The only exception, and this is my only nitpick about the movie, is that Macchio doesn’t fully pull off the ability to play guitar in the film’s climatic moments.

Aside from that one little thing, the rest the movie is great. I’m really glad to see it available on DVD.

Directed by: Walter Hill
Starring: Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca, Jami Gertz
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen, English Dolby Surround
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 8/10/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Crossroads a B.