Review of U Turn (1997) by Alex M — 04 Jul 2004

[SIZE=3][I]U-Turn[/I] is not an offensively bad movie, just an offensively uninspired one. Since it has been directed by Oliver Stone, we expect a movie that pushes the envelope and challenges us with ideas and new cinematic techniques. Instead, Stone delivers a by-the-numbers, formulaic thriller that borrows from superior entries in the genre ([I]Red Rock West[/I] foremost among them). There is no reason why Stone can't make a genre film once in a while...after all, it would be ludicrous to expect him to consistently produce films as politically charged as [I]JFK[/I] and [I]Nixon[/I]. The problem with [I]U-Turn[/I] is that Stone doesn't seem to know exactly what type of film he is making: the movie contains some of the stylistic excesses that Stone is famous for indulging in (such as off-center shots and rapid editing), and it also occasionally seems to be parodying the film-noir genre. Since the film is so erratic in tone and so confusing in plot, it is very difficult to care about either the characters or the story. The film begins with a drifter named Bobby (Sean Penn) wandering into a one-horse town in Arizona. This is the type of town where the locals stare at strangers with a suspicious eye, and it does not take Bobby long to realize that he is not particularly welcome in town. Nevertheless, Bobby is slowly drawn into the town's world of decadence, sexual infidelity, and murder. He is seduced by a femme fatale named Grace (Jennifer Lopez), and when Grace's husband Jake (Nick Nolte) discovers her affair with Bobby, he decides that he has had enough of Grace's infidelities and proposes that Bobby murder Grace...for a price, of course. Grace soon makes a counterproposal and attempts to convince Bobby that Jake is the one who deserves to be murdered. This triangle of deceipt and murder could have been lifted straight out of [I]Red Rock West[/I], but unlike that film, [I]U-Turn[/I] has no conviction or stylistic confidence. Stone is simply not focused enough to explore the characters or bring energy to the story, and so every plot development slogs by predictably while the actors are left helpless. Lopez is appropriately sexy and manipulative as Grace, but the normally-fiery Penn seems lost in the role and never succeeds in creating a flawed hero (which is necessary for film noir to work). Perhaps sensing that the central story is not particularly inventive or engaging, Stone tries to milk humour from the various eccentrics in the Arizona town. Unfortunately, the result is a certain smug and condescending attitude that is reminiscent of some of David Lynch's works. Despite the combined talents of its director and the all-star cast, [I]U-Turn[/I] lacks urgency and originality, and so we are left with nothing to do but contemplate why so many gifted artists would waste their time with a film unworthy of them.

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