“Desperation Road” (** out of four) was a muted adaptation of Michael Farris Smith’s novel about a recently released convict (Garrett Hedlund) who is attempting to put his life back together with his hard-luck father (Mel Gibson) and a woman (Willa Fitzgerald) he meets but all become swept back up in the town’s underbelly of retribution and organized crime. Beautifully shot by Sy Turnbull and featuring a haunting Muzak score by Haim Mazar but story lacks momentum and never develops much in the way of dramatic fire. Gibson is wasted in a minor role as his dad, despite top billing.