# He Went That Way
**He Went That Way** is a 2023 crime thriller directed by Jeffrey Darling, written by Evan M. Wiener, and starring [Zachary Quinto](https://www.edgepedia.org/zachary-quinto) and [Jacob Elordi](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacob-elordi). Set in 1964, it follows a three-day journey along Route 66 in which Bobby Falls, a 19-year-old serial killer, hitches a ride with Jim Goodwin, a celebrity animal handler traveling with his television chimpanzee, Spanky.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) The film is based on a true crime story and premiered at the Tribeca Festival before a limited theatrical release in January 2024.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/releaseinfo/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Jeffrey Darling (feature directorial debut); screenplay by Evan M. Wiener[3](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jacob-elordis-he-went-that-way-movie-everything-to-know-so-far/) |
| Cast | Zachary Quinto as Jim, Jacob Elordi as Bobby, Patrick J. Adams as Saul, Troy Evans as Hank, Alexandra Doke as Whitney[4](https://www.fandango.com/he-went-that-way-2024-234687/cast-and-crew) |
| Setting | 1964, along Route 66, during a three-day road trip[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) |
| Basis | True crime story of serial killer Larry Lee Ranes, adapted from Conrad Hilberry's 1987 nonfiction book *Luke Karamazov*[5](https://keithandthemovies.com/2024/01/03/review-he-went-that-way-2024/) |
| Release | Tribeca world premiere June 9, 2023; US limited theaters January 5, 2024; streaming January 12, 2024; distributed by Vertical[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/releaseinfo/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) |
| Runtime | 96 minutes (listed as 95 minutes at Tribeca)[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/he-went-that-way-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde3mdc3) • [7](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/he-went-that-way-2023) |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes 25% Tomatometer (32 reviews), 39% audience score; Metacritic Metascore 37 from 4 reviews; IMDb 5.1/10[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/criticreviews/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The story begins when Bobby, a hitchhiking 19-year-old serial killer, is picked up on a desolate stretch of Route 66 by Jim, a celebrity animal handler whose priceless cargo is Spanky, a chimpanzee described as an American TV darling. As stress between the two men rises and their fiery personalities combust, the road becomes more treacherous the farther they go.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) In the film's trailer, Bobby asks police officers, "You guys keep asking about the five guys that I killed, but why don't you ask me about the one that I let live?"[3](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jacob-elordis-he-went-that-way-movie-everything-to-know-so-far/)
The film opens with a title card reading "This really (mostly) happened."[9](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2024/01/14/he-went-that-way-2023-review/) Bobby claims to be an Air Force veteran roaming America and trying to reunite with his girlfriend in [Milwaukee](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee), while Jim is driving to Chicago; Jim strikes a deal to drive Bobby to his destination in exchange for his freedom.[10](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2024/1/4/24021992/he-went-that-way-review-jacob-elordi-movie-zachary-quinto-dave-pitts-spanky-chimp) • [3](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jacob-elordis-he-went-that-way-movie-everything-to-know-so-far/) The Tribeca program notes describe the film as as much about a found family as a volatile crime drama centered on a serial killer and his captives on the road.[7](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/he-went-that-way-2023)
## True story and source material
Screenwriter Evan M. Wiener based the script on an encounter that actually happened involving Larry Lee Ranes, a serial killer from [Kalamazoo, Michigan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalamazoo-michigan).[9](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2024/01/14/he-went-that-way-2023-review/) The film is a fictionalized adaptation of poet-professor Conrad Hilberry's 1987 nonfiction book *Luke Karamazov*, a true-crime account of two brothers who followed different paths but both became serial killers; the murderous brother receives a passing reference in the film.[5](https://keithandthemovies.com/2024/01/03/review-he-went-that-way-2024/) • [11](https://www.markreviewsmovies.com/reviews/H/hewentthatway.htm) The real killer claimed to have five victims across the country and was convicted of the murder of one of them.[11](https://www.markreviewsmovies.com/reviews/H/hewentthatway.htm)
Jim is loosely based on Dave Pitts, a real animal trainer, and Spanky is the only character who keeps his original name.[10](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2024/1/4/24021992/he-went-that-way-review-jacob-elordi-movie-zachary-quinto-dave-pitts-spanky-chimp) • [12](https://inbetweendrafts.com/he-went-that-way-review/) Phoenix Notary performs the physical role of Spanky.[3](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jacob-elordis-he-went-that-way-movie-everything-to-know-so-far/)
## Production and release
**Jeffrey Darling's only feature.** He Went That Way was Darling's first and only feature film. An Australian cinematographer who won the Australian Film Institute's award for best achievement in cinematography for *The Crossing* (1990) and directed two [Crowded House](https://www.edgepedia.org/crowded-house) music videos and the 1996 short film *Page 73*, he died at age 60 in March 2022, not long after principal photography wrapped, and did not live to see the film premiere at Tribeca.[3](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jacob-elordis-he-went-that-way-movie-everything-to-know-so-far/) • [9](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2024/01/14/he-went-that-way-2023-review/)
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2023, in the Spotlight Narrative section.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/releaseinfo/) • [7](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/he-went-that-way-2023) Vertical Entertainment released it in select US theaters on January 5, 2024, and on demand on January 12, 2024.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) Production companies included [Tea Shop Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/tea-shop-productions), Mister Smith Entertainment, Head Gear Films, and Metrol Technology.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/companycredits/) The British Board of Film Classification certified the film on October 30, 2023, with advice for strong language, violence, threat, and sexual threat, and Australia classified it MA 15+ for strong violence on December 1, 2023.[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/he-went-that-way-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde3mdc3) • [14](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/he-went-way)
## Reception
Critical response was largely negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 25% Tomatometer from 32 reviews, with an average rating of 4.60/10, against a 39% audience score from more than 50 ratings; Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 37 based on 4 reviews.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/criticreviews/) [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper) of the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) gave it 2/4, writing that bizarre subplots and thin performances blunt the impact, and Glenn Kenny of The New York Times wrote that few things in the laboriously quirky picture mesh at all.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) Reviewers repeatedly singled out the underlying true story as more compelling than the film built from it; the Keeping It Reel review argued the end-credit footage of one of the real people shows the material would have benefited from documentary treatment.[9](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2024/01/14/he-went-that-way-2023-review/) Praise concentrated on the visuals: Film Threat's review called it a cinematographer's movie in which every scene looks like a million bucks, and Loud and Clear Reviews highlighted the desert cinematography and 1960s production design while faulting a shallow storyline and underdeveloped characters.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way) • [15](https://loudandclearreviews.com/he-went-that-way-review-film/) On IMDb the film holds a 5.1/10 rating from about 2,500 users.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/he-went-that-way)
## References
1. [He Went That Way, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/he_went_that_way)
2. [He Went That Way (2023) Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/releaseinfo/)
3. [Jacob Elordi's 'He Went That Way' Movie: Everything to Know So Far, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jacob-elordis-he-went-that-way-movie-everything-to-know-so-far/)
4. [He Went That Way (2024) Cast and Crew, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/he-went-that-way-2024-234687/cast-and-crew)
5. [REVIEW: "He Went That Way" (2024), Keith & the Movies](https://keithandthemovies.com/2024/01/03/review-he-went-that-way-2024/)
6. [He Went That Way, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/he-went-that-way-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde3mdc3)
7. [He Went That Way, 2023 Tribeca Festival](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/he-went-that-way-2023)
8. [He Went That Way (2023) Metacritic reviews, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/criticreviews/)
9. [HE WENT THAT WAY (2023) review, Keeping It Reel](https://keeping-it-reel.com/2024/01/14/he-went-that-way-2023-review/)
10. ['He Went That Way' review, Chicago Sun-Times](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2024/1/4/24021992/he-went-that-way-review-jacob-elordi-movie-zachary-quinto-dave-pitts-spanky-chimp)
11. [HE WENT THAT WAY, Mark Reviews Movies](https://www.markreviewsmovies.com/reviews/H/hewentthatway.htm)
12. ['He Went That Way' review: A psychological detour for Jacob Elordi, In Between Drafts](https://inbetweendrafts.com/he-went-that-way-review/)
13. [He Went That Way (2023) Company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772014/companycredits/)
14. [He Went That Way, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/he-went-way)
15. [He Went That Way: Film Review, Loud and Clear Reviews](https://loudandclearreviews.com/he-went-that-way-review-film/)
16. [He Went That Way streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/he-went-that-way)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2023–2024 films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license