Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.
Crossroads blends blues mythology, the Robert Johnson legend, and a classical guitar duel into a surprisingly distinctive coming-of-age story. The film's central hook — weaving authentic Delta blues history with a Faustian deal-with-the-devil climax resolved via guitar battle — gives it a genuinely singular identity. Ry Cooder's blues soundtrack is exceptional and integral to the film's soul. The acting is solid if unspectacular, with Ralph Macchio and Joe Seneca forming a warm odd-couple dynamic. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable. The ending's guitar duel is entertaining genre fun though somewhat tonally incongruous with the grittier blues road movie that precedes it. The film's real strength is its novelty — no other film quite captures this specific corner of American musical mythology with this combination of reverence and entertainment.