Review of Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) by Pasha A — 29 Sep 2012

In the early 1990's, Quentin Tarantino burst on the scene with a vengeance and after only a couple of films, a legion of young filmmakers emerged trying to emulate his style. "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead" was one of the best of those knockoffs, mostly because while it did mimic Tarantino with some of the flashy dialogue it still manages to stand on its own as a sturdy, reliable crime saga.

The dialogue is a mix of several different slangs, and at times screenwriter Scott Rosenberg seems to be happy in alienating the audience with his mysterious vocabulary. However, once you settle in and the film finds its groove, that aspect becomes one of the film's greatest assets. I love films in which something seemingly simple goes haywire, and here, it's a pleasure getting lost in all of the twists and turns.

The cast of assorted oddballs is a lot of fun too. Treat Williams takes his stock "itchy trigger finger psycho" character to a whole new level, and it's nice to see Christopher Lloyd get such a plum role as a low life criminal that you feel a lot of empathy for. But the glue holding the whole thing together is the wonderful lead performance by Andy Garcia. He's been one of my favorite actors every since "The Untouchables", and he's terrifically three dimensional here as well. He's so well-rounded here, compassionate and almost soulful at times, but ferocious when the situation calls for it.

The comparisons are valid, but "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead" is less flamboyant than "Pulp Fiction". The two films can nicely co-exist.