What would you do for freedom? For most of us reading this right now I’ll take a guess and say that you’re reading this in the United States of America - a country that prides itself on the freedom we give to our citizens. Through documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we are guaranteed freedom. Yet it is not as simple as we think it is. It seems like there are many subsections that can hinder or only provide part of the freedom we are said to be entitled to. Look no further than the concepts that instill systematic racism and hold it in its place in society. Even aside from racism, look how we treat the freedoms of people that are “different” than our ideal of the American dream. We claim to be free, but we still look down upon women, the majority of the LGBTQ+ community, and other races.
What do we do with our freedom? Do we take it for granted or are we using our voices to change the world? My ideal version of America would use that freedom to undo years of systematic racism that so many cultures have faced in the land of the free. It would be living in a world without obstacles for women or those in the LGBTQ+ community. Equality would be a demonstrable fact, not just an idea. It would be living in a world where justice is legitimate, where mental health isn’t a packaged deal with the stigma we have surgically attached to it. To quote the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” (Full speech can be found here.)
The dreamer is eventually woken up from the dream if it doesn’t fit into the larger narrative for freedom. Nearly 60 years after that speech, we are still fighting for the very thing Dr. King was dreaming of and fighting for. Freedom looks like many things to many different people. For a young idealistic man in 2011 named Ross Ulbricht, freedom was about giving people the capability to sell drugs on the darkweb through a platform called Silk Road. That platform’s rise and fall is the subject of a brand new crime thriller in Silk Road, with Nick Robinson portraying Ulbircht. Robinson is slowly gearing himself up to be one of my favorite actors within the medium. His supporting role in 2015’s Jurassic World was among my favorite parts of the film, though it was ultimately his turn as the lovable Simon Spier in 2018’s Love, Simon and its sequel series Love, Victor that forever sealed him on my radar. Robinson delivers yet another top notch performance here. He knows how to set himself up like a chameleon blending into the high stakes tone of the film, moving from charismatic and charming to downright neurotic and unhinged.
The other performances within Silk Road are mostly on par with Robinson. Alexandra Shipp plays Robinson’s love interest, Julia. For such a minor role, she manages to leave an impact. So does co-star Paul Walter Hauser, playing one of Silk Road’s most profitable dealers. Once again, a very minor player in the grand scheme of things, but he still manages to make an impression. Throughout the film, we follow the exploits of a former DEA agent who upon release from rehab gets reassigned to cyber crimes, where he stumbles upon Silk Road during its early days. That agent is played by Jason Clarke. I really enjoyed the way both arcs are intertwined and ultimately what ends up going down with both of them. Clarke has arguably the most growth of any character within the movie and manages to evolve within the craft on every level.
When he is not behind the desk of the cyber crimes division, he is also a father and husband. It feels like writer-director Tiller Russel aimed for this to serve as the emotional backbone of the story. Clarke’s interactions with his wife (Katie Aselton) and his daughter (Lexi Rabe) feel like a major detour from the rest of the movie. I found myself feeling more invested in the characters of Clarke and Robinson way more than I ever did Aselton and Rabe. I understand how their characters are used to develop Clarke, but it fails in the long run. However, I will say that the end with the family is endearing and one of the more precious moments of the film. Nevertheless, the film spends way too much time with these characters and subplots that ultimately lead nowhere. Aselton and Rabe are massively underdeveloped, feel forgettable, and wind up as what we’ve come to expect as stock caricatures.
The film doesn’t spend a significant amount of time within the departments that Clarke works for. When we do they provide some of the film’s more cringe-worthy moments. The writing is a copy-and-paste police procedural job. Clarke’s original captain in the DEA is a paper thin stock character, similar to Aselton and Rabe, it can feel like a hurdle to get through his scenes. But the worst offender in this crime is Clarke’s cyber crimes boss, played by Will Ropp. Ropp is incredibly wooden in nearly all of his delivery. His character feels like he should ooze conviction for this job and that is never conveyed to the audience one bit. Aside from some dreadful writing and acting alike, Silk Road has some tremendous pacing. The characters of Clarke and Robinson are developed with ease to make the characters investible, while also pushing viewers to the edge of their seats.
Overall, Silk Road is a sleek thriller that draws viewers to the edge of their seats. It is in part thanks to its character development, pacing, and the complex characters played by Jason Clarke and Nick Robinson. Much like the story on which the film is based, this film is far from flawless. There are subplots revolving around Clarke which seriously derail the movie multiple times. It feels as though Tiller Russel is aiming to establish an emotional foundation using the characters in the subplots, but in the end fails to do so by creating stock caricatures. Some of the police procedural elements feel formulaic and tonally off from the rest of the film. Nonetheless, Silk Road is a riveting biographical thriller that draws you closer and closer to the edge before its shocking finale.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: Fixation can be a dangerous place to be mentally speaking, perhaps even physically to some degree as well. As the film progresses, Ross dives further and further into obsession by monitoring Silk Road nearly every waking second. He becomes disconnected from his girlfriend, friends, and family. I can’t speak for a large portion of our staff here at Victims and Villains but I, for one, understand the degrees of obsession. It’s something that I have dealt with my entire life. Whether it was Power Rangers as a child, The Simpsons has a teenager, or movies as an adult, I’ve walked that dangerous line several times. I’m thankful for people like my wife or my community that are able to call me out on it.
We’re all fans of something. For Ross, Silk Road was more than obsession; it was his vision, his child. He loved and cared for it to an unhealthy degree. At one point within the film, his girlfriend calls him out on his mania. He says something to the extent of “it’s my community, these are my people.” That mindset sets up Ross as a cautionary tale. Surround yourself with passions that will be healthy for your mental health. Understand and know your limits. Be open minded enough to hear out those who care about you.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Silk Road is property of Lionsgate Pictures and Piccadilly Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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