Jason Momoa's Directorial Debut Is A Forgotten Crime Thriller Streaming For Free

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Jason Momoa is one of the biggest A-list actors working right now. From his breakout role as Khal Drogo on "Game of Thrones" to his turn as the DC superhero Aquaman, he's had one heck of a career. While he's primarily known as an actor, Momoa has tried his hand at directing in the past. And for those who are curious, his feature directorial debut, "Road to Paloma," is streaming for free currently.

Co-written, directed by, produced by, and starring Momoa, "Road to Paloma" is currently available to stream for free on Tubi. While Netflix may be getting more and more expensive, Tubi's business model is built around being free for everyone. It just involves watching some ads, but it beats paying for yet another streaming service. As for the movie itself and what viewers can expect? It's a low-budget road trip thriller that was very much a passion project for Momoa.

He stars as Robert Wolf, a Native American who is being hotly pursued by the FBI for taking the law into his own hands after the brutal murder of his mother on their reservation. Wolf crosses paths with Cash (Robert Homer Mollohan), a down-and-out musician, with the two forming an unlikely bond as they ride their motorcycles across the vast highways of the American West, seeking redemption.

At the time of its release, Momoa had TV shows like "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Baywatch" under his belt, in addition to "GoT," which really helped break him into the mainstream. But he had yet to suit up as Aquaman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," so he wasn't quite the A-lister that he is today. That's worth remembering when looking at this movie.

Momoa was actively turning down auditions for very big movies around this time, including the role of Drax in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," which ultimately went to Dave Bautista. Instead, he was committed to making this low-budget road trip flick, which he had to do on a shoestring budget with little help from Hollywood.

"My heart and soul is in Road to Paloma," Momoa said to Rolling Stone in 2014. "I spent a good two years writing it with some buddies of mine, and we shot it for next to nothing — about $600,000 — and all the music is from my buddies. We traveled in five different states, and it has a really meaningful story to it."

As the New York Post explained, Momoa took out a low-interest loan for $100,000 that he had to pay back in a year. However, if the underwriters of the loan liked the movie, they'd buy it and help finish it. Mind you, he didn't have "Aquaman" money yet, so that loan loomed large. All the same, he got the movie made, and it was ultimately distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment and WWE Studios, largely as a VOD and DVD play.

The movie didn't do big business and was met with mixed reviews, but it was an impressive feat that was accomplished with a true indie filmmaking spirit. Momoa was coming off misfires like "Conan the Barbarian" and had yet to truly cement himself as a movie star. So the fact that he turned down huge opportunities to bet on himself is nothing if not impressive, in hindsight.

You can also grab "Road to Paloma" on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.