"I don't like loose ends."
For one brief, shadow-filled moment, modern day neo-noir master John Dahl threatened to resurrect the entire film noir genre thanks to the one-two punch of the terrifically ingenious Red Rock West and his even more scabrous, venom-soaked femme fatale tale The Last Seduction. Along with Carl Franklin's One False Move and James Foley's After Dark, My Sweet, the nihilistic tough guys and dangerous dames of the 40's and 50's appeared to be making a comeback in the form of gutsy, ultra-violent indie cinema. Alas, despite critical plaudits (all four of the aforementioned films made Siskel and/or Ebert's Ten Best lists), a film noir resurgence was not to be. That fact certainly doesn't detract from how much of a banger Red Rock West is.
Co-written with brother Rick, Dahl's strengths lie not only in his ability to ratchet up the tension of a scene or present unlikable characters in a palatable, even admirable fashion, but also in his understanding of place. With very little preamble, he draws us into the vast, empty plains of Wyoming; a desolate environment full of dreamers and schemers.
The quartet of performers weaving their way through this web of greed and corruption are uniformly stellar. Cage's soulful eyes and quiet, dignified performance make it all the more powerful when he lashes out after trying so many times to do the right thing. Part of the fun of these movies is knowing everyone is a double-crossing bastard, so Lara Flynn Boyle's sensual, crafty manipulator is eminently watchable because you know she's using everyone as a means to her own ends.
Damnit, do I miss J.T. Walsh, gone too soon and spectacularly duplicitous, cold, and calculating, though that's not to say his character is one-dimensional. In fact, Dahl includes a very telling moment in which a friend of Walsh is gunned down and you can see the genuine anguish wash across his face. And then there's Dennis Hopper who, well...what can you say? From the moment he strides into the movie, you know some wild shit is about to go down. Has he done this role before? Absolutely. I recall Siskel actually referring to him as the "villain du jour," but fuck if he isn't a gleeful maniac who gets off on watching people squirm.
Just when you think Red Rock West can't get any wilder, a new twist spins the plot in an even crazier direction. Some find the ending to be a bit too upbeat, yet considering how much torment poor Nic Cage is subjected to throughout, I think he earns the 'W' here.
Comments