Devil at the Crossroads - A Robert Johnson Story

The Robert Johnson story is fraught with legend and is the basis for innumerable tales of the natural and supernatural. The Deal With the Devil is as old as the Bible, but was modernized with Johnson meeting Satan at the Crossroads and becoming a master of the guitar. He perpetuated he legend in his lyrics and the haunting sounds that he produced and it all captivates the imagination even to this day, more than a hundred years after his birth.

Of course, there have been dozens, hundreds, possibly thousands of stories based on the Johnson myth, with books, movies and records being dedicated to the man and this Netflix documentary is simply another in a long line. There is not much new to be said about the man, so there really is no revelations to be found here. The filmmakers do talk to Robert's grandson (as well as his son, via old footage) which is neat, although, of course, he didn't know the man. Other than that, the tale is basically what we have heard for decades with numerous blues and rock musicians (Keith Richards making an obligatory appearance - with subtitles, which was amusing!) giving their point of view and occasionally playing one of Johnson's songs.

So, while entertaining, as any story about a larger-than-life man like Johnson is bound to be, there are no epiphanies and nothing new really to add to the tale. Nice, but certainly nothing essential.