Tomato Red (2017)
Tomato Red (2017), directed by Juanita Wilson, starring Julia Garner and Jake Weary.
score
No risk, no reward.
Synopsis
When small town drifter Sammy Barlach drives into Venus Holler in search for his next cold beer and the bunch that'll have him, he gets a lot more than he bargained for, namely food, lodging and the possibility of a better future, thanks to crimson-haired Jamalee and her brother Jason, who dream of hitting the big time. Breaks aren't easy to come by, though, if you live in Venus Holler. Powerless against the forces of corruption and prejudice, the hardest things Sammy has to battle are the demons inside his own head.
- Piers McGrailCinematography
- Juanita WilsonDirector, Screenplay
- Nathan NugentEditing
- Daniel BekermanProducer
About the film
Tomato Red (also known as Tomato Red: Blood Money) is a 2017 Irish-Canadian crime film written and directed by Juanita Wilson and starring Jake Weary and Julia Garner. It is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Woodrell.
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Tomato Red (also known as Tomato Red: Blood Money) is a 2017 Irish-Canadian crime film written and directed by Juanita Wilson and starring Jake Weary and Julia Garner. It is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Woodrell.
Plot
Sammy is released from prison and moves into a trailer and gets a low level job. On Friday he goes to a bar, starts drinking, and befriends some locals. After spending the weekend with them smoking meth, they convince him to break into a wealthy family's house. The car that takes him to the house abandons him, as he drinks liquor and passes out.
He awakens to find himself tied to a chair, by brother and sister, Jammalee and Jason. They act as though it is their house and eventually untie him. When the police show up, all three flee. Jammalee invites Sammy to her trailer but he returns to his trailer instead. He confronts the people who abandoned him, beating a man and getting his belongings. He then decides to go to Jammalee's.
Sammy ends up living with Jammalee and Jason in their brother's room who is currently incarcerated. Their mother, Bev lives in a home next to theirs and works as a prostitute. Sammy befriends all three. Sammy and the two siblings continue to break into wealthy people's homes and blackmail them with information they find. This eventually leads to Jason being murdered. A local police officer pays them off with $5,500, instructing them to leave it alone. He claims people just wanted to beat Jason in order to send him a message but things got out of hand. Soon after, Jammalee leaves town alone and Sammy confronts and fights the townspeople.
Cast
Julia Garner as Jamalee Merridew
Jake Weary as Sammy
Anna Friel as Bev Merridew
Nick Roux as Jason Merridew
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 6 critics' reviews are positive.
Paddy Kehoe of RTÉ.ie awarded the film four stars out of five, writing that it "is a strong, engaging film in which Irish director Juanita Wilson manipulates the dramatic elements to engender a keen sense of pathos and despair." Gwilyn Mumford of The Guardian gave the film two stars out of five, and wrote, "ultimately it's a case of all surface, no feeling."
Donald Clarke of The Irish Times awarded it three stars out of five, and wrote, "the picture is not in the same class as the two previous Woodrell adaptations, but it has unmistakable personality."
References
External links
Tomato Red at IMDb
Text from Tomato Red on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_Red
Trivia
- It cost US$ 2.0 million and grossed US$ 5.504 in theaters — 0.0 times its budget.
- It premiered on February 24, 2017, a Friday.
- It runs 1h52 — a typical feature length.
- This film's quiz has 13 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosScythia Films, Metropolitan Pictures
- CountriesCanada, Ireland
- LanguagesEnglish
- BudgetUS$ 2,000,000
- Box officeUS$ 5,504
- StatusReleased
Cast
-
Julia Garner
Jamalee Merridew -
Jake Weary
Sammy -
Anna Friel
Bev Merridew -
Nick Roux
Jason Merridew -
Douglas M. Griffin
William -
Sean Campbell
Policeman -
Kathryn Kirkpatrick
Interview Female -
Brad Kelly
Security Guard -
Trevor Lerner
Trailer Man -
Simon Longmore
Dude - Scott A. McGillivray Interview Man
-
Kurt Max Runte
Official -
Sean Tyson
Foreman
Quiz about this movie
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Tempo de Despertar
7.8
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A Organização
6.3
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A Cabana Drama from the 2010s
7.5
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O Impossível Drama from the 2010s
7.4
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Se Eu Ficar Drama from the 2010s
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Tags
Crew
- Piers McGrail Cinematography
- Juanita Wilson Director
- Nathan Nugent Editing
- Daniel Bekerman Producer
- Elizabeth Gill Producer
- James Flynn Producer
- Juanita Wilson Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is Tomato Red about?
Tomato Red: When small town drifter Sammy Barlach drives into Venus Holler in search for his next cold beer and the bunch that'll have him, he gets a lot more than he bargained for, namely food, lodging and the possibility of a better future, thanks to crimson-haired Jamalee and her brother Jason, who dream of hitting the big tim…
Who directed Tomato Red?
Tomato Red was directed by Juanita Wilson in 2017.
Who stars in Tomato Red?
The cast of Tomato Red includes Julia Garner, Jake Weary, Anna Friel, Nick Roux and Douglas M. Griffin.
How long is Tomato Red?
Tomato Red runs for 112 minutes, or 1h52.
How much did Tomato Red cost and how much did it make?
Tomato Red had a budget of US$ 2,000,000 and took US$ 5,504 at the box office.
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Page updated on 09/13/2026.
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