Hilariously unhinged and beautifully shot, John Dahl’s Red Rock West is a dark and depraved Lynch-esque odyssey across Wyoming as drifter Michael (Nic Cage) assumes the persona of a hitman hired to a kill a man’s wife (Lara Flynn Boyle) in a small town. Complications arise, however when the real hitman (Dennis Hopper) turns up and all hell breaks loose. This is a fascinating blend of neo noir, erotic thriller, and action thriller and the manic insanity of Hopper makes it all the better. Cool soundtrack, too. Cage is surprisingly fairly restrained, likely due to the presence of a far nuttier lunatic on set. Perfect Friday night entertainment.
A memorable debut, Kill Me Again is a sexy, spicy desert noir by John Dahl, who would later make something of a career in the neo-noir genre. Joanne Whalley is a criminal femme fatale with a dangerous and psychopathic boyfriend named Vince (Michael Madsen). She decides enough is enough and breaks free from both Vince, the mob, and the cops on their tail and hires burnt-out private investigator Jack Andrews (Val Kilmer) to fake her death. What then transpires is a thoroughly entertaining blend of erotic thriller and desert noir that invokes classical images of both genres and deposits them into a synth-heavy 80s package. Also, while I’m not a huge car nerd, this movie boasts some of the coolest cars of the decade (for example the above image of Vince’s Cadillac). The real standout in the film, however, is Michael Madsen, ripping up a sizeable chunk of the film as the ice-cold madman Vince (one scene of him slitting a man’s throat must have been the inspiration for his more iconic role in Reservoir Dogs). He is so convincing in his role, able to be both menacing and attractive at the same time. Give this a watch just for his performance, because god damn, is he terrific. Otherwise, check this out if you’re in the mood for a good little noir.
I’ve said it before, but I just love 90s erotic thrillers. They’re so stupid and so Freudian, and so completely blunt in their admittedly conscientious sexual politics, they’re impossible to dislike. Red Shoe Diaries is no exception, and it’s helmed by the great Zalman King who was, was wait for it, king of this genre. Between him and Greg Dark, there were dozens of nearly identical, dumb as hell but entertaining Skinemax flicks with pre-X Files David Duchovny just chewing the scenery. This film is definitely a time capsule to an era where cable TV was not a capitalist enterprise, but an edgy, subversive area where adults could watch other adults fuck with goofy scores and over-the-top orgasms. This is definitely worth a watch if you’re a fan of erotic thrillers and/or Duchovny. Oh, and keep an eye out for Matt LeBlanc in an early role as a burly bloke with a coif and a leather vest (No, he does not get naked)
