Desperation Road trailer: Mel Gibson, Garret Hedlund, and Willa Fitzgerald defend the truth in a Southern Noir thriller

Last Updated on September 1, 2023

Desperation often leads to violence when someone’s back is against the wall. Humans are animals, and when cornered, they’ll lash out, throwing caution to the win as part of a fight or flight response. In Lionsgate‘s Desperation Road trailer, a mother protects herself against a corrupted officer of the law, leading to gunfire, bewilderment, and a snap decision to flee the scene. Mistakes can catch up to the best of us, and secrets unravel easily when the past comes back to haunt you.

“In a small Mississippi town, justice and the law are two very different things,” reads the official synopsis for Desperation Road. “Academy Award Winner Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Lethal Weapon), Garret Hedlund (TRON: Legacy, Four Brothers), and Willa Fitzgerald (Scream: The TV Series, The Goldfinch) star in a modern noir thriller based on the acclaimed novel by Michael Farris Smith about two lost souls tortured by the mistakes of their past and bound by a secret that keeps them running.”

Nadine Crocker (Continue, Cabin Fever, Supergirl) directs Desperation Road from a script by Michael Farris Smith. Garret Hedlund, Willa Fitgerald, and Mel Gibson star as primary cast members, with Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy, The Mysterious Benedict Society), Kat Foster (Jean-Claude Van Johnson, Your Family or Mine), Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood, Evil Dead), Ella Thomas (Mistresses, Ten Days in the Valley), Woody McClain (The Harder They Fall, The Bobby Brown Story), Paulina Gálvez (The Purge, Panhandle), and Pyper Braun (Superkitties, Country Comfort).

In the Desperation Road trailer, a mother at the end of her rope finds herself in an altercation with a power-hungry officer of the law. One thing leads to another, and she puts two bullets in her assailant, killing him and landing herself in unimaginable trouble. Desperate to escape the situation, she takes a man hostage with his own problems. Together, they run from the past, the truth, and those looking to make them pay for their mistakes. To survive, they’ll need help from a friend (Mel Gibson) if they hope to see the light of dawn.

Desperation Road is coming to select theaters, On Demand, and digital on October 6.