The Salton Sea
(2002)
|
Caught up in the permanent nighttime of the habitual methamphetamine user, Danny Parker (Val Kilmer) and his friends close the curtains so they can't tell what time of day it is. But while his associates revel in their highs, Danny is haunted by his previous life as Tom Van Allen, a trumpet player who lost his wife (Chandra West) in the crossfire of a shoot out. In an effort to find his wife's killer, Tom became a police informant, adopting a heavily-tattooed disguise. When he discovers that a Mexican drug lord has put a hit out on him, Danny decides to pull one last score--unfortunately involving Pooh-Bear (Vincent D'Onofrio), a childlike kingpin with a penchant for torture and a yawning void where his nose once was. |
A rock star-styled Val Kilmer plays it hip as a low-life pretender hunting for his wife's killers in this eccentric and atmospheric crime thriller. Shot like a frenetic film noir within the murky world of LA's crystal meth users, it marks director DJ Caruso's first non-TV feature. With its Day-Glo characters, whose antics range from hilarious to downright scary, the tale has the same quirky, edgy feel of Trainspotting, but with a mournful undercurrent. Kilmer is on top form as the jazz player masquerading as an addict, recapturing some of his lost sex symbol status, while Vincent D'Onofrio steals the show as a big-time dealer whose own habit has worn away his nose. Sophisticated yet irreverent, intelligent yet bizarre, this is left-field viewing with a seriously cool veneer.