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I hadn't seen this movie since it came out 30 years ago and hadn't been able to find it or watch it until now. The movie is a little corny but entertaining. The movie has a lot of guitar playing and also features guitarist Steve Vai who was voted one of the 10 best guitarist of all time. It has lots of blues and history and puppy love between Ralph Macchio and Jami Gertz. If you like guitars, Blues and don't take it too seriously it's a Good flick!!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Sad I had to clean this DVD to get it to work and play in my DVD player.. overall not a bad Movie. Enjoyed the music and acting. The highlights features an original score featuring Ry Cooder and Steve Vai on the soundtrack's guitar, and harmonica by Sonny Terry. Vai also appears in the film as the devil's guitar player in the climactic guitar duel makes you want to hear more..
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
CROSSROADS (Walter Hill's Blues film, NOT Britney Spears' self-indulgent 2002 fluff) is a terrific introduction to a uniquely American 'sound', with a remarkable cast and southern 'atmosphere'. It has always astonished me that the film was not a hit when released, in 1986, but it's status as a cult classic is certainly well-deserved, with subsequent films like the Coens' O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? 'borrowing' the Robert Johnson subplot and many of the visual elements. Perhaps the film, with it's magnificent Ry Cooder score, was just too far ahead of it's time, a strange criticism to apply to a Blues movie! The tale involves young Long Island guitar prodigy Eugene 'Lightning Boy' Martone (Ralph Macchio), a rebel at the Julliard School with his passion for the Blues ("Primitive music," one professor sneers), who is on a quest to recover legendary guitarist Robert Johnson's fabled "30th Song" of 1938. His research leads him to a New York nursing home, where fabled harmonica player Willie Brown (the late actor/singer/songwriter Joe Seneca) is confined. Promising to 'give' the song to the youngster if he can be "busted out" and returned to his Mississippi home, the pair are soon on a cross-country trip, with Martone learning about discrimination, the 'darker' side of Man, and love's loss (through a brief encounter with Jami Gertz, who was never lovelier), providing him with the core of sadness Brown says is essential to truly play the Blues. The climax of the film is legendary; arriving home, Brown, who had 'sold his soul' to the Devil at the 'Crossroads' as a young man (just as his friend, Johnson, had), attempts to get 'Scratch' (skeletal Robert Judd) to tear up the contract. The Devil informs him that he will, only if Martone can defeat his Champion in a 'Guitar Duel'. If the youngster loses, his soul, as well as Brown's, will be lost, forever. Martone rashly agrees ("I don't believe any of this crap anyway!"), and he and Brown find themselves in a church converted into a dance hall, with demons and lost souls cavorting to the rock strains of insanely talented Jack Butler (Frank Zappa guitarist/composer Steve Vai). With only his love of the Blues, Julliard training, and Brown's 'ju-ju' to aid him, the humbled Martone must play for far more than his life, in a guitar 'Duel' with the rocker (both parts were actually performed by the astonishingly gifted Vai) that is so fabulous that it is amazing that it was NOT included in the soundtrack album! Walter Hill was no stranger to music-themed fantasies (he also directed another 'ahead of it's time' cult film, STREETS OF FIRE), and with CROSSROADS he took a simple storyline, and turned it into an unforgettable musical experience.Read full review
I’m a long time blues fan, and I thought it was a fun small movie. Is it the history of the Blues? Not by a long shot, but it could be viewed as a brief and easy introduction for those not familiar with the music, and it might have caused a few people to look into it. Past that I liked the premise, and the scenery, and the music; the execution not so much. I’ve read lots of reviews of this movie on the internet(Mostly by wannabe Blues historians), and the there are a number of complaints that it wasn’t true to the original script, that it has music that was non-blues during the duel, but I do not expect any movie to come out of the established entertainment industry to do anything except try and make money. I actually remember when it came out, and it was at the height of the speed demon, hammer-on/pull-off classical music gig of the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, et al; so the movie played music people were hearing at the time. Crossroads didn’t do so well at the box office. For all I know it came out head to head with some blockbuster Starwars type flick; or maybe people were afraid it was going to be too esoteric not less. Maybe there were tired of “wax on, wax off” movie themes. Never let it be said that Hollywood does anything unless they run it into the ground. At least it wasn’t as pretentious as some of the music “documentaries” that crop up.Read full review
This DVD concerns a blues legend and parallels it with wonderful effect. The characters are believable and the story is well acted by Joe Seneca, Jami Gertz and Ralph Macchio. This DVD also takes a close look at the prejudices and attitudes in many places in the deep south. The music is absolutely down-home great, much of it written by Ry Cooder. The performances by Steve Vai and Ry Cooder and Joe Morton are breath taking. All in all, a great way to spend an afternoon. If you, like myself, love blues music this DVD is a must have.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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