Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- bleak
- tense
- confrontational
- late night thriller viewing
- independent film night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film well shot and strongly performed but undermined by contrived, rushed, predictable storytelling and an unsatisfying resolution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mitchell and Carter are stranded beside their broken truck on an isolated desert road, where physical confinement magnifies their hostility.
The two lifelong friends attack one another over career success, abandoned dreams, relationships, and personal failure.
The film concentrates its central ordeal on two men, a disabled vehicle, scarce options, and an unforgiving landscape.
The isolated desert road and expansive barren surroundings contrast with the increasingly claustrophobic emotional conflict.
Films like Scenic Route, and why
The Grey
isolated survival thriller driven by escalating conflict between companions and psychological pressure
Gerry
desert survival drama combining physical peril with corrosive male relationships
Bug
contained psychological thriller in which interpersonal resentment intensifies under extreme isolation
The Road
bleak two-hander centered on masculinity, failure, and survival in an unforgiving landscape
Movie Details
- Directors
- Kevin Goetz, Michael Goetz
- Release Date
- 2013-08-23
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (222)
Cast
- Josh Duhamel
- Dan Fogler
- Miracle Laurie
- Christie Burson
- Peter Michael Goetz
- Jamie Donovan
- Ethan Maher
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- FlixFling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Scenic Route about?
- Two estranged lifelong friends stranded in the desert turn a survival ordeal into a savage reckoning over ambition, failure, and betrayal.
- What is Scenic Route like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Scenic Route as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Scenic Route violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Scenic Route as brutal.
- What did critics think of Scenic Route?
- Critics generally found the film well shot and strongly performed but undermined by contrived, rushed, predictable storytelling and an unsatisfying resolution.
- Which films are like Scenic Route?
- Films with a similar feel include The Grey, Gerry, Bug, and The Road.
- How long is Scenic Route?
- Scenic Route runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch Scenic Route?
- In United States, Scenic Route streams on FlixFling.
