Gasoline Alley - What We Know So Far
If you get a kick out of late-period Bruce Willis action movies, here's a new one for you to look forward to. The star-in-name-only of so-called "geezer teaser" potboilers (via Vulture) like "Midnight in the Switchgrass," "Hard Kill," and "Survive the Night" will next appear on the poster — and in a limited number of minutes — in the crime thriller "Gasoline Alley," which is not related to long-running comic strip of the same name ... a fact that, in turn, makes us wonder if the movie's title will have to be changed before it comes out. Because unlike the syndicated funny pages staple, this is not a wholesome slice of Americana.
"Gasoline Alley" looks set to be an action-packed murder mystery set in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, where all the great crime stories take place, from "The Big Sleep" to "Too Old to Die Young." Filming is complete, according to Movie Insider, and it's slated to come out early next year.
Here's what we know so far about "Gasoline Alley," including the upcoming film's release date, cast, and plot.
What is Gasoline Alley's release date?
No official release date for "Gasoline Alley" has been announced, but Movie Insider reports that it's slated for a February 2022 release.
Per Variety, the film is directed by Edward Drake. Drake previously directed Bruce Willis in the Frank Grillo-led sci-fi action flick "Cosmic Sin" which came out earlier this year — to an abysmal 3% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, just in case you were wondering – as well as the upcoming survival thriller "Apex," which is slated for a November release (according to Deadline). The screenplay for "Gasoline Alley" is by Tom Sierchio, who wrote and directed the indie film "The Girl Who Invented Kissing" and also works as a stunt performer, according to IMDb.
"Gasoline Alley" is financed by BondIt Media Capital, a fascinating company that provides funding for a lot of these kinds of critically dismissed but profitable thrillers, including the Kevin James-led home invasion thriller "Becky," the Liam Neeson crime thriller "Honest Thief," and a number of Bruce Willis thrillers. According to Variety, the film will be distributed in North America by Saban Films, which is also behind Willis movies like "Paradise City," "Cosmic Sin," and "Breach."
Who is in the cast of Gasoline Alley?
"Gasoline Alley" stars Devon Sawa, the 1990s and early 2000s icon of "Little Giants" and "Final Destination" fame. Sawa is no stranger to this type of thriller, having appeared in "Escape Plan: The Extractors" with Sylvester Stallone, 50 Cent, and Dave Bautista, and director Fred Durst's infamous John Travolta vehicle "The Fanatic."
In "Gasoline Alley," Sawa plays Jimmy Jayne, a murder suspect trying to clear his name. Sawa's character eventually teams up with the detectives investigating him, who are played by Willis and Luke Wilson, who has only done one other of this type of quick-and-dirty thriller, that being 2018's "High Voltage." According to IMDb, the supporting cast includes "Jean Claude Van Johnson" star Kat Foster, "Con Air" and "Field of Dreams" actor Steve Eastin, and "The Bridge" actor Johnny Dowers as a character with the amazing name "Erasmus Alcindor."
The film also features an appearance by Rick Salomon, who's best known for his infamous video with Paris Hilton, "1 Night in Paris." He's playing a character named Percy Muleeny.
What's the plot of Gasoline Alley?
"Gasoline Alley" sounds like a noirish vigilante thriller about bad men trying to stop an even worse man. It's a story about a crook who starts doing his own amateur detective investigation after he becomes a suspect in a brutal multiple homicide he didn't commit. He has to crack some skulls among his underworld contacts in order to get some answers he can bring to the real detectives who keep bothering him.
With that said, here's the official synopsis, via FilmFestivals.com: "Jimmy Jayne (Sawa) is a bruised-fisted rockabilly boss-type sucked into a triple murder of three Hollywood starlets drowned in a luxury hotel pool. As the prime suspect for Homicide Detectives Freeman (Willis) and Vargas (Wilson), Jimmy takes up his own rogue investigation, bending the law in ways the police can't in order to clear his name. With the killer skating through Jimmy's shadow, he bands together with the two Detectives to dangerously expose a truth much bigger than they had imagined."
Sounds like exactly the sort of plot that fans of these movies expect and enjoy. Time will tell what that dangerous "truth" really is when "Gasoline Alley" (or whatever it might be renamed) comes out in 2022.