The Poison Rose

The Poison Rose (released internationally as Eye for an Eye) is a 2019 American thriller film starring John Travolta and Morgan Freeman.[1] The film was directed by George Gallo and Francesco Cinquemani. It was written by Richard Salvatore, Francesco Cinquemani, and Luca Giliberto, based on Salvatore's novel of the same title.[2][3] The film was released on May 24, 2019 by Lionsgate, and was panned by critics and audiences. The film was also a commercial failure, grossing only $323,754.

The Poison Rose
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Gallo
Francesco Cinquemani
Written by
  • Richard Salvatore
  • Francesco Cinquemani
  • Luca Giliberto
Based onThe Poison Rose
by Richard Salvatore
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTerry Stacey
Edited byYvan Gauthier
Music byAldo Shllaku
Marcus Sjowall
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • May 24, 2019 (2019-05-24) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$323,754

The film received the best directing international award at the Terre di Siena Film Festival.[4]

Plot

Set in 1978, the plot centers on Los Angeles private investigator Carson Phillips. He is hired to conduct an investigation in his Texas hometown where mental facility patient Barbara Van Poole has been incommunicado for some time, which has her L.A.-based niece worried about her well-being.

Upon reaching the sanatorium, he notices that the staff all look nervous when he asks for her. Dr. Miles, the head doctor, is evasive and strings him along for several days. Carson never gets to see Mrs Van Poole.

He meets up with his ex, Jayne, and her daughter, Becky. Becky is married to the star quarterback, Happy. One night during a game, Happy suddenly dies and the police strongly suspect Becky. Jayne asks Carson for help.

Becky was being abused by Happy, but since he was the star quarterback, the police would not arrest him. It is later learned Dr. Miles was killing off patients who were not financially supported by their families, Barbara Van Poole included, and collecting their social security money. Carson uncovers the truth and Dr. Miles is shot dead by a patient. Carson learns he is Becky’s father.

Carson and Jayne reconcile and he finds a bottle of cancer pills. This same substance was found in Happy's blood. He accuses her of "doing anything to protect her daughter" and realizes that she was the one who poisoned Happy. Becky comes out and asks her if she did it. At first Jayne denies everything, but then admits that she thought that Happy would kill Becky and since she herself did not have long to live, no one would be left to protect her daughter. Becky forgives her.

The movie ends with Carson stating that he was going to go home, then realizes he is home, implying he stays with his ex and daughter instead of going back to Los Angeles.

Cast

Production

Forest Whitaker was previously in talks to portray Dr. Mitchell before Brendan Fraser assumed the role.[5]

Principal photography took place in Savannah, Georgia, in June 2018[6][7] and continued in Italy after the summer.[8][9]

Release

The film was released on May 24, 2019 by Lionsgate.[10] The film was dedicated in memory of Steve and Geraldine Salvatore, the parents of Richard Salvatore, who wrote the novel, The Poison Rose.[11]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 3/10.[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[13] The Guardian described it as a "ridiculous and mostly boring hardboiled thriller".[14]

References
  1. "Film Review: The Poison Rose". Variety. 2019-05-24.
  2. McNary, Dave (15 May 2018). "Famke Janssen Joins John Travolta's Crime Thriller 'The Poison Rose' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. Billington, Alex (25 April 2019). "John Travolta Heads Down to Texas in Official 'The Poison Rose' Trailer".
  4. "I Premi del Terra di Siena International Film Festival 23ma Edizione". Annuario del cinema italiano (in Italian). October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  5. Wilson, Lisa (6 June 2018). "Savannah film behind-the-scenes: Actress praises Morgan Freeman. Travolta plays poker". The Island Packet. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  6. Wilson, Lisa (21 June 2018). "John Travolta's in Savannah, and it looks like he's loving it. Here's where he's been". The Island Packet. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. Umholtz, Gary (21 June 2018). "Celebrity alert: John Travolta spotted filming "The Poison Rose" movie around Savannah". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  8. Cascella, Giulia (6 November 2018). "La Rosa Velenosa: inizieranno a Roma le riprese del film con Morgan Freeman e John Travolta". Cinematown.
  9. Carnevale, Giacinta (7 November 2018). "La rosa velenosa, al via le riprese a Roma del film con Morgan Freeman e John Travolta". Mondo Fox. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  10. "Virtually every movie coming out this summer". Los Angeles Times. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  11. Salvatore, Richard (3 June 2019). "The Poison Rose". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  12. "The Poison Rose (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  13. "The Poison Rose Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  14. Clarke, Cath (2 February 2021). ""Eye for an Eye review – Travolta goes sleuthing in Texas"". The Guardian. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
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