Crossroads (1986) *** (out of 4)Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) is a young man from Long Island who loves the Blues and the legend of Robert Johnson. He tracks down Willie Brown (Joe Seneca) who was the last person alive to play with Johnson in hopes that he will turn over a lost song that the Blues legend recorded. Soon the two are on a road trip to Mississippi where Eugene wants to become a Blues legend himself while Willie has an old score to settle.Walter Hill's CROSSROADS is a love letter to Blues musicians of the past and there's no question that it does a great job at paying respect to them. The film was released to some great reviews but it really didn't catch on at the box office but over the years it has gained a strong cult following and it certainly deserves that. The love letter to the Blues is obvious but there's also a nice road picture here as well as one excellent performance.What I enjoyed most about Hill's film is that the director perfectly nails the Southern locations and I thought he did a marvelous job at making you feel as if you were watching a true myth come to life. There are scenes at the Crossroads where the Blues magicians sell their soul in order to play and I thought these scenes were highly effective and one wishes that an entire movie would be made of this and Johnson. Another major plus is that the music itself is extremely good and there's no question that it pulls you into the picture.Macchio was riding the success of THE KARATE KID and for the most part I thought he was good in the film. I'm not quite sure I believed him as a great musician but I thought he was fine playing the know-it-all from Long Island. Jami Gertz is very good in her role as a woman the two run into on the road and Joe Mortan is also good in his few scenes. There's also Harry Carey, Jr. in a small role as a bartender.With all of that being said, CROSSROADS work so well because of Joe Seneca. He delivers the performance of a career here and I must say that he easily steals the picture. The actor really is believable in the role and there's not a second that he's on screen that you don't feel as if you're watching a real Blues legend. I will say that the ending didn't really work too well with me but that's just a minor issue. Other than that this Walter Hill film packs a nice little punch and is certainly entertaining.

The plot in this movie is awful. It's annoying because every 10-15 minutes it's like the producer has to remind you that this is a movie about guitars.Frances, the temporary love interest, seems to be to squeezed into the plot for some reason, probably to give this movie a part love story. Eugene and Frances happen meet in a barn where Frances is not wearing any pants. However, she wears a top long enough. I hate her character and she does not deserve to be on the cover of the DVD. Frances has an attitude problem, and when she and Eugene fight, she storms off and Eugene comes over to comfort her. He says that he wants her to come with him and that he likes her. This scene is so clichéd and cheesy that I bury my head in hands.Then, they kiss and eventually makes it look like they slept with each other. I wonder to myself if she ever ended up pregnant?! Or maybe she brought condoms with her just in case she happens to meet some stranger she could randomly sleep with.Something that was really weird was when that old man wanted Frances to come in the shower with him. I can't remember properly but for some reason she started taking her shirt off anyway but Eugene shows up and she manages to escape. Another creepy thing is that all these weird old men throughout the movie start saying 'Oh you're pretty' and complimenting on her looks. Later on, she completely disappears out of the movie despite the romance between her and Eugene. She's gone at least.One thing that annoyed me is that in the middle of the movie, Eugene and that old dude go to the guitar shop and trade the acoustic guitar for the electric. The old dude traded something to pay for it. The guitar cost four hundred dollars! Four hundred dollars gone for a brand new guitar and some pick up thing. They could of spent it on food and shelter or at least got a second-hand.At the end of the movie, this guy, the 'devil' challenges Eugene against the top guitarist in the town. If Eugene wins, the old dude, who in the beginning lost his soul, gets it back and if he loses, gets his own soul taken.Asleep at that scene, I was awakened by the sound of a loud piercing guitar noise. My ears hurt. There is a dramatic moment where Eugene takes to the stage and plugs in his guitar. There is this guitar duel between him and that other guy that is the best in the town. It bored me to tears. There was also this girl randomly dancing around them. It sounded like two people childishly fighting on guitar hero. Thanks to clichés, we all know who is going to win. Yes, it's the hero of the story, Eugene from his skills he somehow got. I barely saw him learning any guitar skills and suddenly he becomes a professional.Bottom line, don't watch this movie unless you're a hardcore guitar fan and you enjoy watching old creepy perverted guys hit on young girls. Considering I'm more of a piano person, I give this one star for the guitar parts because there is probably skills I'm not aware of.

If there is one movie about Blues, then there is the one. I remember watching it for the first time in 1992 0r 1993, and since that time I am hooked! The theme, the deep South, the music, the cast - all is thrilling and the long, slow blues tracks by Ry Cooder are simply mesmerizing. The very trip done by Willy Brown and his young accolade to the South in search of the lost 30th Robert Johnson is so well done that you almost feel the smell of corn and whiskey. And then there is young Steve Vai who utters not a word in the sequence of duel but does a marvelous work as an actor and solo guitarist. That breathtaking Jackson / Telecaster, Metal / Blues, Shred / Slide duel is a highlight of the whole film. Man, ain't it cool!

This movie will always have a special spot in my collection. I remember seeing it on TV when I was about 10, and I hadn't started playing guitar. Seeing Jack Butler (Steve Vai) rip it up left a permanent mark on my memory. A couple years later when I got my first guitar and amp, I rented the movie and was able to appreciate it all the more - I took a cassette recorder, held it up to the TV's speakers and recorded the infamous "Duel Section". I spent hours learning "Eugene's Trick Bag" note for note, and well...being a beginning guitarist, didn't really do much with it at that time. =) It's safe to say that this movie having led me to Steve Vai, is a big reason why I am playing the guitar to this day, 10 years later.Having just watched it for the first time in a few years, it's actually a very good movie. Joe Seneca is brilliant as the harmonica toting blues-man, and Ralph Maccio does an excellent job as well! The storyline holds your interest and builds up nicely to the climactic final duel with the Devil's axeslinger - the one and only Steve Vai. This film also played a big part in catapulting Vai to fame - soon after he would join the likes of David Lee Roth, David Coverdale (Whitesnake) and even replace Yngwie Malmsteen in the rock group Alcatrazz. If you're a Vai fan, you know that the rest is history and he is easily one of the most influential guitarists of our time.Great entertainment, and again - a must if you're a guitarist.