Review of The Salton Sea (2002) by Robin T — 14 Oct 2010

For Fans Of: Drug flicks, twists, flash directing, Kilmer.

Date Night: No.

Art Factor: High.

Fun Factor: Medium.

Emotional Factor: Low.

Intelligence Required: Medium.

Essential Viewing: No.

Drug flicks are dicey situations. Some are masterpieces like Drugstore Cowboy or Trainspotting. Others are lowest common denominator trash, like Spun. While The Salton Sea will not make you replace your copy of Trainspotting anytime soon, this is a terribly underrated movie that deserves some recognition. Val Kilmer, who can go either way in his performances, thank goodness goes the right way here. The character he plays is man that is hard to get a bead on, and Kilmer plays the part to perfection. The always amazing Peter Sarsgaard shows his range here, playing Kilmer's mulleted speed freak mate. The script is good, it just wasn't great. A couple of the main plot points just kind of magically wrap themselves up when convenient. But where the script falls short in places, the direction is a sight to behold. D.J. Caruso, who directed the terrible Taking Lives and the super enjoyable Disturbia, is an amazing talent. While his body of work amy be uneven, I am sold that this guy can direct. Cool fades, unique transitions and angles, the man can bring it. If for no other reason see this flick for the direction. It is pretty graphic, so if that is a problem for you, this isn't your cup of tea. If you like edgy direction and scripts, get on this slept on gem.