Review of Red Rock West (1993) by Sasha T — 14 Aug 2010
I definitely love this sort of movie. It's a twisty, dark little film noir, much like Blood Simple or No Country for Old Men. Although it was directed by John Dahl (who also made a couple of other good crime movies but has mostly been working in TV lately), it wouldn't have surprised me if the Coen brothers had made it.
Like Blood Simple, the story revolves around a guy in a small Western town hiring somebody to kill his wife. This story ends up being even more complicated than Blood Simple, though not quite as effective.
The climactic scenes of both movies really show the differences: though this movie's climax is much more drawn out, it has less visceral impact than Blood Simple's. Still, this movie is really quite good.
Nicolas Cage gives a very toned-down lead performance, Lara Flynn Boyle is a very interesting femme fatale, and Dennis Hopper gets to play the sort of wildly energetic psycho villain he was known for playing.
J.T. Walsh is also pretty good as the husband who wants his wife killed. It's not the greatest movie ever, but it is a good example of a great genre.
This review of Red Rock West (1993) was written by Sasha T on 14 Aug 2010.
Red Rock West has generally received positive reviews.
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