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
movie reviews