Pretty Good

best movie i've ever seen.

A lot of fun.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Small towns in the middle of nowhere are made for the movies. To onlookers, a city like Red Rock would be a quaint checkpoint under the umbrella of a long-winded road trip, perfect for a pit stop and a quick bite to eat. Stay there too long, though, and you'll find yourself desperate for entertainment, money, love, and more. Maybe that's why the characters in Red Rock West are so cold-blooded.When the film was first introduced to audiences during the Toronto Film Festival in 1993, it was immediately well-received, a neo-noir praised for its uncommon quality. Distributors weren't as smitten. When its domestic rights were sold to Columbia Tri-Star, a theatrical release was out of the question. "The film doesn't fall neatly into any marketable category. A western film noir isn't something people can immediately spark to," the head of the marketing department of Polygram declared. So it was disregarded, branded as a cable and direct-to-video product. It was shown on HBO seven times in the fall, but the small-screen, after all, is certainly not a distinguished place for a movie to be shown, especially one that should be taken seriously.But just as things could not have gotten any worse, they suddenly became better: When Bill Banning, the owner of San Francisco's famous Roxie Cinema, saw Red Rock West for the first time, he disagreed with the distribution it was receiving. Surely, the film had an audience. And after a year of trying to secure the rights, his faith in the film paid off; it became such a box-office smash at the Roxie that it eventually was given a proper limited release, becoming an art-house favorite within a few weeks.Normally, I wouldn't go so deeply into the backstory of a film that came out more than 20 years ago, but as of 2015, Red Rock West still feels like a classic waiting in the wings, desperately wanting to be discovered by another Banning. Even after all the ruckus it made throughout 1993- 1994, it remains a hidden gem, deserving to sit on the same golden throne that Blood Simple currently lounges on.A drifter in the same caliber as John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice, Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) finds himself in the city of Red Rock after failing to acquire a promising oilfield job. When he stops by a local bar to wash away his sorrows, he is confronted by the owner, Wayne Brown (J.T. Walsh), who mistakes him for a hit-man he hired to kill his wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael is young and stupid, so when Wayne offers him an eye-grabbing stack of cash, he fails to correct him that he's actually Michael Williams from the Navy, not Lyle from Dallas.Being the nice guy that he is, he breaks into the Brown home, hoping to warn Suzanne that she's in grave danger. But when the real hit-man (Dennis Hopper) shows up, Michael finds himself tangled in a net of lust and sin that can only end badly. And it surely doesn't help when he becomes romantically involved with Suzanne.In the ashen throes of the film noir genre, there is almost always a recurring feeling of déjà vu; once you've seen a disciple with a drifter, a femme fatale, and a shady husband mixing it up, you've probably seen them all. Film noir has hardly changed since its peak years (the 1940s and '50s), yet it has maintained a startling freshness in the same way comic books have. You may have experienced every storyline possible, but the way those story lines are told, with hard-bitten cynicism and dark alleyway peril, have infinite allure.Red Rock West is a consistent delicacy, a greatest hits album of film noir adventures. Look at the way a cigarette dangles on Lara Flynn Boyle's kissable lips. Look at the way Dennis Hopper handles his gun, like a detective flying off-the-rails of his sanity. John Dahl is a director who knows his movies — after only a few minutes into the film do you get the sense that Murder, My Sweet and Raw Deal are not just B- movies to him, but cookbooks, its recipes lingering in the cinematography and the writing.Red Rock West isn't without its issues: Music plays when a scene should be strictly silent, destroying any tension waiting to be had, and it would have been interesting if the film had explored Michael and Suzanne's relationship as thickly as Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson's. But two minor flaws can hardly deter the success of a film as striking as Red Rock West. Ignoring the disconcerting violence that plagued the majority of '90s independent neo-noirs, the film is deliciously old-fashioned and deliciously stylish.

Intriguing crime-drama. Set-up is great. Plot development is good - suspense is maintained throughout. Plot is interesting, but not watertight - some things just don't gel. Dialogue is a bit clichéd at times. Ending also feels a bit unrealistic.This all said, quite entertaining and always intriguing.Good performance from Nicholas Cage in the lead role. Lara Flynn Boyle puts in a solid performance as the femme fatale. Dennis Hopper overdoes the theatrics though.Supporting cast are OK. Best of the bunch would be Timothy Carhart as the lead Deputy Sheriff.

There are certain people who scream out to be typecast. Looing for a small-town bigwig with an air of corruption and a nasty streak? How about the late (and much lamented) JT Walsh? How about a contract killer with superficial charm and a centre of pure viciousness? Has to be the late (and even more lamented) Dennis Hopper. Penniless drifter with a hard luck story? Nicolas Cage, who else? Only femme fatale wife of small-town bigwig doesn't immediately scream Lara Flynn Boyle, but she does a perfectly adequate job in the role.Red Rock West is a noir movie, updated for modern audiences. The plot involves murder plots, opportunism, corruption, double-dealing, and assorted twists and turns, and is splendid fun. The performances are all dark, and all the principals get their teeth into the piece.Highly recommended, if you're in the mood for some dark fun.

From the director of movies 'Last Seduction' and 'Kill me again', comes another movie in the noir style. John Dahl created a niche for himself by making movies on the themes of adultery, blackmailing in the early 90s. Though I did not have much of an opinion in regards to last seduction. But nowadays Mr Dahl has resorted to directing television shows.Its a shame since the man had talent.***SPOILERS** This is quite an impressive movie which revolves around a drifter Cage) that comes in to the town of Wyoming for a job. However he does not prove lucky and becomes mistaken for a hit-man from Texas by bar owner J.T Walsh. He is given the task to kill his wife (Boyle). But Cage decides to split after taking the upfront payment without doing it. On the way out of town he accidentally hits a guy on the road, who he then takes back to the local hospital. At that point Cage coincidently meets Walsh again, who also appears to be the local sheriff. After that Cage escapes from his clutches but meets in to the real hit-man that happens to be Dennis Hopper.John Dahl has co-written and directed this movie. Therefore it goes to show that a project can turn out decent when a director puts his thoughts on screen. The direction is of good standard, however while watching the movie I got a made for TV movie feeling. There were too many close up frames. However this does not deter the movie from being an enjoyable experience. The movie had good pace and the structure was perfect. Dahl written the script with good duration of lenght.Cage portrayed the role as a drifter realistically, though to me his performance seemed somewhat restrained. His facial expressions were on the mark. Lara Flynn Boyle was hot and handled her part perfectly as the femme fatale. Her hairstyle was far out and can make any guy go on his knees. Hopper played his part well. But I feel he was miscast for this role. He did not convince me that he had the qualities of a hit-man. The role was not written keeping his personality in mind.While viewing one will get deja vu of previous movies like 'The Hot Spot' and 'A Perfect Murder'. Due to the fact that some sub plots are similar. Overall if you are a fan of noir movies, then this one is for you. Worth recommending. 7/10