The Comeback Trail

2020 Cloudburst Entertainment

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 44min

Crime ~ Comedy

Starring: Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, Zach Braff, and Emile Hirsch.

Hollywood has never pulled a stunt like this.

The Comeback Trail was filmed in 2019 but because of The Covid-19 Pandemic, which also drove the initial distributor out of business, and the subsequent lawsuits over distribution, the release was delayed until February 25, 2025 and is currently on a number of streaming services including Hulu, Amazon Prime and Paramount+.

Let’s not beat around the bush—the trailer for “The Comeback Trail” promises more laughs than the movie actually delivers, except for the scene where the horse kicks Robert De Niro. I literally busted out laughing, it was completely obvious it was going to happen and so stupid, it was funny. You’d think with legends like Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman sharing top billing though, we’d have an instant classic with star-studded comic hijinks blazing across the screen. Instead, what we get is a worn retread of old Hollywood satire, a little too safe, not nearly dark enough, and just sort of… familiar.

If you’re expecting De Niro in full-on comedic genius mode—think Midnight Run or Analyze This—you’ll get flashes of it here, but mostly he’s dialing up the chaos as Max Barber, a washed-up producer who decides his only way out of mob debt is to “accidentally” kill his faded cowboy star, Duke Montana (Jones), to cash in on insurance. Forget twisty plotlines; the story is as predictable as you’re guessing right now, but with fewer laughs than you’d hope for.

The cast puts in the work. Jones, especially, walks off with the movie’s soul, playing Duke with a mix of melancholy and earnestness rarely seen in broad comedies. His suicidal cowboy could have been a running gag, but Jones injects heart and a hint of regret that almost—almost!—makes you care. De Niro is all bluster and wild schemes, burning calories trying to make Max’s desperation land. Freeman, meanwhile, has a few smirk-worthy lines but is largely sidelined.

Visually, the film actually looks decent. There’s an undeniable flair to the cinematography—the grimy, cut-rate movie sets and LA backlots sell the atmosphere. If you muted the sound, you might be tricked into thinking this is a riotous good time. But Bobby’s cardinal rule: it’s not how it LOOKS, it’s how it PLAYS, and here the play is just… average.

Bottom line? This is one of those late night cable comedies you watch on a whim, forget about by morning, and don’t exactly regret. There’s fun to be had—mostly courtesy of Tommy Lee Jones—but with three Oscar winners on deck and a premise ripe for crazy hijinks, it should have swung for the fences instead of bunting. Not awful, not great, just a movie that’s been here for years, reheating leftovers instead of serving up anything new.

Inside Man: The Gemini Lounge

2023 Vertical Entertainment

Rated: 16+

Length: 1 hr 31min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller ~ True Story

Directed by: Danny A. Abeckaser

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Jake Cannavale, Lucy Hale, Ashley Greene, Vincent Laresca, Kyle Stefanski, James Russo and Robert Davi.

Bobby Bones is a Freaking Cop!

Emile Hirsch stars as Bobby “Bones” Belucci, a disgraced New York City Police Detective who sees an opportunity for redemption. Bobby came home early from work one afternoon to find his wife with another man in their house. Being a little hot-headed, Bobby loses his mind on the guy and beats him to a pulp. His wife subsequently leaves him and he is demoted at work over the incident. Bobby is placed on desk duty and relieved of his service weapon. Completely miserable, one evening after work he decides to stop at a bar and tie one on.

Bobby gets pretty drunk and as he is relieving himself in the men’s room, two guys are doing a drug deal in a stall next to him. Suddenly they bust out of the stall and the customer pulls a knife on the drug dealer. Bobby snaps and jumps the knife yielding customer and takes out all his life’s frustrations on the guy. The Dealer, being very grateful to Bobby for saving his life, asks him for a ride. Bobby drives the dealer, Chris Rosenberg (Jake Cannavale) to The Gemini Lounge. Afterwards Bobby does some research on Chris and discovers that he is tied to The Demeo Crew and The Gemini Lounge is their hangout.

Bobby decides to go to the Gemini Lounge to hang out and get in good with his new friend Chris. It isn’t long before Chris introduces him to the rest of The Demeo Crew and finds himself fitting in with the gang. He approaches his Captain and convinces him to let him officially go undercover and get evidence against the group and their leader Roy Demeo. His boss agrees and assigns Bobby a budget and a partner. And that’s where the rest of the movie takes us, on the journey Bobby takes being undercover with a ruthless Mafia group with ties to the Notorious Gambino Family.

There are drugs, pimps, prostitutes, murders, dismemberments, and assorted mob violence portrayed in the film. It is a true story and there is nothing pretty about Mob activities. One scene in the bathtub reminded me of a scene from Scarface with Al Pacino. Emile Hirsch does a good job of portraying the tough Bobby Bones Belucci with a short fuse, not afraid to get dirty with the mob to bring them down. Reminded me of his role in Walden, somewhere in that mild-mannered actor lives a very violent man.

It is an independent film that Vertical Entertainment picked up and released. it was originally called Gemini Lounge and was re-titled Inside Man by Vertical. They should have kept the original name so it wouldn’t get confused with the 2006 Inside Man Movie with Denzel Washington. I thought it was pretty good for an independent film, well shot and the movie itself flowed pretty good. Not a lot of huge plot lines like some indies. It is a True Story and I thought they did a good job of portraying the story and The Demeo crew. If you are a fan of the Mob/Mafia/Gangster movies, you should like this…..just remember it is not a big budget production like The Irishman.

If you are not a fan of that genre or don’t like gangsters and violence, you’re not gonna like it.

So there you have Inside Man/Gemini Lounge not to be confused with Inside Man starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster or it’s sequel Inside Man: Most Wanted.

Inside Man starring Emile Hirsch is currently Streaming On Amazon Prime

Walden

Inside Man

Inside Man: Most Wanted

Walden

2023 Uncork’d Entertainment

Rated: Unrated

Length: 1 hr 42min

Horror ~ Mystery ~ Thriller

Directed by: Mick Davis

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Shane West and Kelli Garner.

“I’m the ghost of the courtroom…….recording every truth, every lie, every murder.”

This is the movie synopsis from the Official Walden Movie Website:

People collect sweaters, Walden Dean collects the testaments of justice, he is a stenographer and being the ghost of the courtroom, his mind is agonizingly crammed witnessing the torrent of injustice, until now. Discovering he has a terminal illness sends him into a rage that has been simmering deep within him for years and now he is about to take justice into his own hands, in the most gruesome ways imaginable. But there is a more gruesome piece of business Walden will need to deal with, a pedophile serial killer right on his small town’s own doorstep.

Emile Hirsch stars as Walden Dean, the mild mannered, very polite, very straight laced, very geeky, bow tie wearing fourth generation stenographer in a small southern town. He is practically married to his job and his stenography machine. He cleans it religiously and takes it with him wherever he goes. In the beginning he is a teetotaling Church man who prays religiously. During the course of the movie he transforms into a ruthless, crafty and clever drunken vigilante murderer with no remorse for those who have spread their evil while destroying innocent lives. He literally starts drinking whiskey by the bottle while he pops pain pills and gets worked up about his next vigilante execution.

Kelli Garner stars as Emily Duperon, the sixth generation southern woman who just moved back to her hometown to get away from the big city. She meets Walden at a stenography contest and takes an interest in the quiet “sevant” stenographer. After her repeated flirtatious advances they become romantically and physically involved. Briefly before Walden turns into the drunken vigilante. I liked Kelli in this and thought that Walden and Emily’s relationship was something the movie should have explored more. Writing this I thought, geez, they were meant for each other. Look at their names, Walden and Emily…..the lovely stenography couple.

Shane West and Tania Raymonde star as the two detectives that start investigating the murders that start to happen around town. David Keith as the “Bad, very bad man Judge Boyle. Luke Davis plays the mentally disabled grown man with the IQ of a ten year old General George. There are quite a few stories going on here and is sometimes a little hard to follow.

There is the mystery of the missing Mexican boys, all approximately the same age. Brought to light by the disappearance and eventual discovery of the murdered body of Cal Pepper. General George becomes a suspect because he is friends with all the neighborhood children, having the IQ of a ten year old.

There is the relationship between Walden and Emily, the estranged relationship with his widowed Father, the troubled relationship Walden had with his promiscuous Mother, the strange and intimate relationship with the Judge, and his close friendship with General George.

In the end you see that a lot of these things are intertwined and make sense as it comes to a conclusion. There are some questions if you start looking too deep. Like why are there so many crimes in such a sleepy looking little southern town. Why is it that a court stenographer geek suddenly flips and becomes his drunken, murderous alter ego yet still prays for his victims. Why is it that he seems to leave no evidence and the Police never get any clues from the crime scenes. It’s like everything is a mystery, and even that is a mystery.

It is quirky, a little dark, a little bizarre but yet, homey and pleasant in a small southern town sort of way. Would you like some ice tea with that? Yes I would. I’ve watched it twice and I like it. It is different but sometimes different is good. I think the ending lands itself to a sequel although I haven’t seen any news of one.

Worth a watch.

Two Thumbs Up!