The Salton Sea Review
A one-time producer for John_Badham, director D.J. Caruso scores a significant artistic success (if not, unfortunately, a financial hit) with this taut psychological thriller that strikes a fascinatingly mournful tone and features the best performance from erratic star Val_Kilmer in years. Much of what is so compelling and effective about the film can be chalked up to a superb script from writer Tony_Gayton that mixes elements of the noir genre with the fiendishly absurd sensibilities and violent underworld characters of Quentin_Tarantino and Danny_Boyle. But credit is due to the director and star. Caruso gets things off to a zippy, attention-grabbing flourish of a kick start with a rapid-cut, quasi-documentary on the history of methamphetamine and its users or "tweakers," while Kilmer impresses with a performance that begins as wan and spaced-out, but is gradually revealed, layer by layer, to be far more cunningly intelligent and manipulative than one initially expects. It's a performance of nuance and grace, with the often too-eccentric actor nailing a deft bull's eye. Well-chosen supporting players are uniformly strong, with Vincent D'Onofrio a flashy standout as a drug dealer missing a nose along with quite a few marbles. It all comes back to that script from Gayton, however, one that takes the audience on an emotional roller-coaster ride as the story manages to shift seamlessly into a completely different mode with each act turn, ultimately transforming from a painfully funny drug satire into a heart-wrenching tragedy of violent revenge. Gayton is a crime screenwriter to watch, quite literally. Karl Williams, Rovi
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