Journey to the End of the Night | DVD Review

Journey to the End of the Night is a pulsating, darkly original thriller that could easily draw director Eric Eason the attention of the Hollywood Big Seven and start the young director down the path to commercial success. Brendan Fraser steps out of his traditional roles and provides a staunchly believable performance as a drug addicted pimp with a gambling obsession that has driven him to the edge of desperation. Scott Glenn, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Mos Def complete the captivating cast with equally strong performances.

The film follows a rarely used, and even more rarely successful formula of setting itself in a foreign land, in a single night, and with a highly character driven plot. Journey follows a long tradition of movies set and/or filmed in South America; from the classic The Creature From the Black Lagoon to the more recent Apartment Zero. Eason’s daring is apparent in the setting and pace of the film as well. Similar to Michael Mann’s Collateral, the story takes place in one night; with characters whose ultimate motives and motivations are disclosed only as the plot unfolds. Despite the beauty of the locale, Eason focuses on the darker, seedier side of his host city, Sao Paulo. This too is a not too uncommon directorial decision of late, with Eason following the leads of City of God, Central Station and Mango Yellow. Eason is obviously seeking to fit the Tarantino style of character development, but fails to remember that Tarantino films generally have a far longer run time. Eason does manage to keep the pace going and bring each of the plotlines full circle. The arcs are short, but very evident and often unexpected.

From its dark and hauntingly gritty opening scenes, Eason stretches the boundaries of the standard narrative, weaving plots and subplots intricately into a web of deceit that leaves the audience wondering who to cheer for. Eason brings shock value into the mix with choices that nearly earned the film an NC-17 rating. The sex scenes in the film are far less than would normally be expected in context, there is little nudity, and even that is no more than late night television. The gore factor; however, is adequate to justify the rating, as are the sexual connotations-a shemale sex scene, main setting a brothel. Eason does well to not cater to the pervert foundation.

Sao Paulo is a city in motion. The streets are filled with people running from somewhere or seeking something. Rosso (Glenn) and his son Paul (Fraser) are both. Rosso came to the country from New York and can never return. Together they share ownership of a brothel and the love of a single woman (Moreno) who is torn between the two. When a Russian customer is gunned down in the brothel, leaving a suitcase full of drugs, the three devise a plan to take one last payday. Rosso longs to take his wife and youngest son away from the city and retire in peace. Paul needs to keep his gambling debts from becoming his death sentence. Together they find buyers for the drugs, but as the deal is set to take effect, Paul decides to take all the money for himself. Things get complicated when the pair has to locate a new mule to carry the cargo and pick up the funds. Wemba (Def) is recruited from the brothels kitchen and set to the task of making the transfer. Wemba is a Nigerian immigrant who arrived in Sao Paulo seeking work and a better life. As the plot unfolds we find that Wemba is the only one whose soul is untainted, yet he too must run for his life.

Gritty cinematography and brilliant use of lighting techniques enable Eason to establish the realism of the story despite the rather obvious plot holes that have haunted the film since its film festival circuit. Eason’s choice of cast ranging from American and Brazilian greats, to excellently cast “street actors”. The uncommonly gloomy and wet weather of Sao Paulo during the filming made the cast and crew uncomfortable, but ultimately added to the surrealist atmosphere. The added grit to the supernatural aspects aid in the immersion effect, as does the alternating English/Portuguese languages spoken by the characters. Though some audiences may find the dialect challenging and over the top, the interaction between American’s and those native to the land often becomes a jumbled collection of words in both languages.

Glenn’s transformation in the film from despicable brother owner to caring husband and dedicated father helps the audience come to care for the character. Mos Def’s superb portrayal of a naïve, hard working immigrant drawn into a situation that is beyond his control is by far the high point of the film. Fraser’s submersion into his role, while being a striking difference from his previous works, is believable and tantalizing. The intricate subplots converge to grant the film a touch of the Tarantino-esque quality that Eason seemed to be reaching for. There are moments when the plot seems to be leading into directions that it simply does not follow through on, especially those involving the police, and Eason would have done far better had he narrowed his characters and subplots, substituting instead deeper realization of the remaining characters. Eason works his magic well behind the camera, but perhaps needs to leave the penning to someone else.


The DVD extras are minimal, but well crafted. Rather than providing an entire commentary filled mostly with time wasting banter, Eason and his cast simply speak about the film and the experience of creating it. The behind the scenes shots are interesting and informative, the cast insightful, if not a bit overzealous in their praises of Eason. Subtitles are only available in Spanish. First Look Home Entertainment has granted the DVD one grand option – rather than forcing the viewer to sit through 20 minutes of previews before reaching the main menu, the distributor has thankfully placed all the previews under the special features section. While previews have a purpose, and can be enjoyable, the option to skip them is always a plus.

The end result is that Journey to the End of the Night is certainly a journey worth taking. The film is an innovative thriller blending action with heart. The cinematography is nothing short of ingenious, and the actors are superb despite the apparent miscasting. But then who would have thought Jim Carrey or Robin Williams would ever go straight? The DVD is definitely worth spending an evening with.

Movie rating – 3.5

Disc Rating – 2.5