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Poster for Man from Reno

Man from Reno

The greatest mystery she's ever written. And it could be her last.

2015 · 1h 51m Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Directed by Dave Boyle

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Overview

A stranger in the increasingly strange city of San Francisco, Japanese crime novelist Aki is unsure of precisely what role she has to play in a real-life murder mystery involving ambiguous MacGuffins and amorphous identities. Unfolding in lonely places such as bookshops and hotel bars, Dave Boyle's moody thriller uncovers exhilarating new takes on genre conventions. Consequently, it's an alluring l'homme fatal who supplies Aki with the breadcrumb trail of clues that entices her into a labyrinthine plot of sinister dealings. In turn, the aging sheriff (veteran character actor Pepe Serna, fantastic in a rare leading role), who should rightfully be riding to her rescue, proves to be equally out of his depth. The game is afoot, the chase is exhilarating and the stakes are perilously high in this inspired neo-noir.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
Fresh

If you can hang on for close to two hours with almost no resolution, it's worth the ride.

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Rotten

Instead of building toward a climax, the film drifts off into nothingness, with a last scene that will send people shuffling out of the theater thinking, "Who cares?"

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh

Writer-director Dave Boyle is best known for his offbeat rom-coms with San Francisco musician Goh Nakamura (Surrogate Valentine, Daylight Savings), and his gift for eccentric characters redeems this standard whodunit.

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Fresh

"Man From Reno" fascinates. It invites you to go back, decipher its clues and discern a grand design, if there is one.

Stephen Holden, New York Times
Fresh

Like any good purveyor of noir, Boyle, who wrote the film with Joel Clark and Michael Lerman, understands that identifying someone is only one endgame while the mystery of identity is naggingly, tragically endless.

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

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