# The Poison Rose
**The Poison Rose** is a 2019 crime mystery thriller directed by George Gallo, Francesco Cinquemani, and Luca Giliberto, starring [John Travolta](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-travolta) as a hard-drinking Los Angeles private detective who takes a missing person case in his old Texas hometown and is drawn into a web of crimes, suspects, and dead bodies.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) The film is an Italian-American co-production inspired by classic film noir.[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/450094/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Directors | George Gallo, Francesco Cinquemani, and Luca Giliberto[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) |
| Lead cast | John Travolta (Carson Philips), Morgan Freeman (Doc), Brendan Fraser (Dr. Miles Mitchell), Famke Janssen (Jayne Hunt), Kat Graham (Rose), Ella Bleu Travolta (Rebecca Hunt)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) • [3](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-poison-rose/D2iGiTRmgogIeENCEvnf87/main/) |
| Release | Limited theatrical and streaming release in the United States on May 24, 2019, distributed by Lionsgate[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) |
| Runtime and rating | 98 minutes; rated R for some violence and language[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/450094/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) |
| Box office | $323,754 worldwide per Box Office Mojo, all from international markets; The Numbers reports $193,872 international with no domestic gross[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5862166/) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Poison-Rose-The-%282019%29) |
| Critical reception | 0% Tomatometer from 11 reviews and 21% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; Metascore of 26 (generally unfavorable) on Metacritic[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/critic-reviews/) |
| Production | Principal photography in Los Angeles, California, from April 2018 to June 2018[7](https://www.productionlist.com/production/the-poison-rose) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
Carson Philips (John Travolta) is a hard-drinking private eye working in Los Angeles who takes a case in his old hometown of [Galveston, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/galveston-texas). While searching for a missing woman, he confronts a crime boss ([Morgan Freeman](https://www.edgepedia.org/morgan-freeman)), a shady doctor ([Brendan Fraser](https://www.edgepedia.org/brendan-fraser)), a club singer (Kat Graham), his former lover (Famke Janssen), and his own past.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/details/) The Korean database Cine21 places the story in 1978.[9](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=58198)
The production summary describes Philips as an ex-football star turned private investigator with a soft spot for a lady in distress. His routine missing persons case reveals itself as a complex interwoven web of crimes, and when he discovers that his long-lost daughter is the number one suspect, he races a ticking clock to save her, solve the murders, and uncover the town's dirty secrets.[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/450094/) His daughter Rebecca is played by Ella Bleu Travolta, the lead actor's daughter.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/02/eye-for-an-eye-review-john-travolta-morgan-freeman)
## Production
The film is a co-production of Italy and the United States, written by Luca Giliberto, Francesco Cinquemani, and Richard Salvatore, and photographed by Terry Stacey.[2](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/450094/) Production companies attached to the project included JTP Films, March On Productions, Millennium Media, Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment, Grindstone Entertainment Group, and Poison Rose Productions.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/details/) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) took place in Los Angeles from April 2018 to June 2018, with George Gallo directing and casting by Lisa London and Catherine Stroud.[7](https://www.productionlist.com/production/the-poison-rose)
## Release and box office
Lionsgate released the film in limited theaters and on streaming in the United States on May 24, 2019.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) International releases began May 23, 2019, in Russia/CIS (as Ядовитая роза), followed by Portugal, Lithuania, and the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates).[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Poison-Rose-The-%282019%29) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5862166/) Japan received a theatrical release on November 23, 2019, and South Korea on July 28, 2021.[11](https://eiga.com/movie/91814/) • [9](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=58198)
The theatrical run was small. [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records a worldwide gross of $323,754, entirely from international markets, led by Russia/CIS at $129,691 and the United Arab Emirates at $78,701.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5862166/) The Numbers reports a lower international figure of $193,872 with no domestic gross recorded.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Poison-Rose-The-%282019%29) [Home video](https://www.edgepedia.org/home-video) performed better: estimated United States DVD sales of $1,444,201 and Blu-ray sales of $661,961, for a combined $2,106,162.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Poison-Rose-The-%282019%29) In the United Kingdom the film was released under the title *Eye for an Eye*.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/02/eye-for-an-eye-review-john-travolta-morgan-freeman)
## Reception
The film was received poorly by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 0% Tomatometer from 11 reviews and a 21% Popcornmeter from more than 250 audience ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 26, categorized as generally unfavorable, with four of five listed critic reviews negative.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/critic-reviews/)
Recurring criticisms targeted the plot and the use of genre conventions. [Rex Reed](https://www.edgepedia.org/rex-reed) of the Observer wrote that "nothing makes much sense here, including the title."[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/critic-reviews/) Cath Clarke of The Guardian called it "a preposterous plot, with a damp-squib ending"; in her full review of the UK release she described the interlinked crimes as barely making sense, with epically pointless plot twists.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/02/eye-for-an-eye-review-john-travolta-morgan-freeman) The Los Angeles Times, while noting solid supporting performances by Morgan Freeman, Robert Patrick, and [Peter Stormare](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-stormare), judged that the cast and creative team "all seem slower and lazier" than they might have been twenty-five years earlier.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/critic-reviews/) The German site FILMSTARTS described a fraying plot with too many subplots and a bored John Travolta.[12](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/263832/kritik.html)
Audience response was divided. Some Rotten Tomatoes user reviewers called it a disjointed story that never clarified itself, while others defended it as a good detective film with slower pacing and believable dialogue.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose) A favorable review at Screen-Connections rated it 7.5 out of 10 and called it a faithful, engaging throwback to classic private eye film noir.[13](https://screen-connections.com/2019/05/23/movie-review-the-poison-rose-is-a-faithful-engaging-throwback-to-classic-private-eye-film-noir-boosted-a-stellar-cast-arrives-in-select-theaters-on-demand-may-24-2019-from/)
## References
1. [The Poison Rose, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_poison_rose)
2. [The Poison Rose, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/450094/)
3. [The Poison Rose, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-poison-rose/D2iGiTRmgogIeENCEvnf87/main/)
4. [The Poison Rose (2019), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5862166/)
5. [The Poison Rose (2019), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Poison-Rose-The-%282019%29)
6. [The Poison Rose critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/critic-reviews/)
7. [The Poison Rose, Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production/the-poison-rose)
8. [The Poison Rose details, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-poison-rose/details/)
9. [포이즌 로즈 (Poison Rose), Cine21](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=58198)
10. [Eye for an Eye review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/02/eye-for-an-eye-review-john-travolta-morgan-freeman)
11. [ポイズンローズ, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/91814/)
12. [Kritik zu The Poison Rose, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/263832/kritik.html)
13. [The Poison Rose review, Screen-Connections](https://screen-connections.com/2019/05/23/movie-review-the-poison-rose-is-a-faithful-engaging-throwback-to-classic-private-eye-film-noir-boosted-a-stellar-cast-arrives-in-select-theaters-on-demand-may-24-2019-from/)
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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) › 2015–2019 films › Thriller and mystery films › Titles O to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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