Not just another drug movie
Written: Sep 23 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Intelligent, subtle directing. Val Kilmer is amazing! Cinematography is outstanding
Cons: Cliched plot, boring narrative. Sometimes TOO many subtleties
The Bottom Line: First-time director's uniqueness and awesome rhythm not able to keep a bad script from sinking.
|
|
|
| trounce's Full Review: The Salton Sea |
I am a drug fanatic - I love the idea of drugs and what they do to the body. I love how to body changes itself to adapt to frequent usage. I love how the media glorifies drugs and how directors interpret differently the effects. This by no means suggests I am a drug addict - on the contrary (although you may believe what you wish - this is the internet after all), I have dabbled in only a small portion of a larger world and have not really enjoyed the results.
The Salton Sea is not a drug movie. Let's get this out of the way and into the open for all to be mesmorized with. This is not a 'Requiem for a Dream' ripoff or a stylized 'Cheech and Chong' flick. This is about a man whose wife is murdered and his revenge against those who took her life (Memento anyone?). Like 'Memento', it is explained through the use of a narrative and acts in which the movie takes major plot turns. Unlike its more well-known brother, the narrative in 'The Salton Sea' is rather boring and cliched. It is dotted with plot holes and subplots that detract from the overall movie, and the second and third acts have really nothing to do with the first.
The plot is rather simple - a man (Val Kilmer) and his wife are deeply and passionately in love. They are starting their life by freeing themselves and living unrestricted lives. They are vacationing on the beach in an area called, what else, the Salton Sea, when they get a bit lost and ask for directions at a rustic shack home to two rotting old men and their overused television. Kilmer goes to the bathroom leaving his wife with the men (stupid enough already). Soon afterwards, a masked duo barge into the house and proceed to create holes in anything they can see, including the people. Kilmer gets shot in the shoulder while inside the bathroom and watches his wife get shot in the head by one of the murderers in black.
Guess what happens next? That's right! He vows REVENGE against the two baaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaa-d men. At the scene of the crime the investigators find a single red hair and he goes on his undercover investigation from there, joining a youth-based drug ring in order to find his answers.
The story takes off from there, and although there are some MAJOR plot holes in the movie, they are few and far between. The director, C.J. Caruso, a first time movie director, gives inspiration to a very mediocre script and does so with ease. His subtle hints are not overshadowed by his obvious ones and there was just something about his deliberate style of placement and rhythm really added something to the picture.
The editing was well done, placing bits and pieces from his wife's death into the ongoing story as to let the audience in on some of the reasons he had such ill intent.
Kilmer plays a trumpet player-turned-druggy perfectly, in his best role in recent memory. He was not a good Batman, despite what anyone says.
The problem is, as I stated earlier, this movie is NOT a drug movie. The first act is indeed full of drugs, and the general theme of drugs resides in the second and third acts, but not in the same way. The second act is all about Kilmer's switch from druggy to vigilante. The third is strictly Kilmer-wants-to-kill-people. Not bad, but the first act was still the best, as it was the most pleasing aesthetically. The script was bad throughout.
See this movie for no other reason than a good laugh. There are some genuinely funny moments throughout the movie, and there is a monologue by a young gun dealer that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. It was a brilliant performance by "Mpho Koaho" and was far too short. That scene is "the bomb"... haha!
Overall, an imperfect, misguided, not-too-gentle revenge story filled with memorable moments and incredible directing from newcomer C.J. Caruso. Watch for him in the years to come when he has a script with some substance.
7/10
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
trounce
|
|
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.