The Salton Sea

Starring:Val Kilmer, Doug Hutchison
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

In the real world, drug use is unimaginably boring to watch--but it inspires spectacular visuals in movies like Trainspotting and Drugstore Cowboy. To this list add The Salton Sea, a moody thriller starring Val Kilmer as a musician who goes undercover into the world of speed freaks to find the men who killed his wife. Though that plot summary may sound trite, creative direction, strong performances, and a solid script that shifts to and fro in time make The Salton Sea worth a look. Kilmer has an erratic track record but he's always an intriguing on-screen presence; Vincent D'Onofrio has a field day playing a noseless speed dealer called Pooh Bear. The cast is full of excellent character actors, including Anthony LaPaglia (Lantana), Peter Sarsgaard (Boys Don't Cry), B.D. Wong (Jurassic Park), Deborah Kara Unger (Crash), Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), and Luis Guzman (The Limey). --Bret Fetzer

Description

In the Imperial Valley of Southern California there is a little known body of water 226 feet below sea level, one of the lowest points in the United States. As there is no outlet from this sea, water is being removed only by evaporation, which results in a salinity level more than 25 percent higher than the Pacific Ocean. There is an eerie stillness to this vast sea, and a peculiar density to the water. This lake is the Salton Sea. Set against this remote and mysterious landscape, an unexpected and brutal crime leaves an innocent woman, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, dead at the hands of masked gunmen. Her husband's life is left in ruins, his every waking moment haunted by the recurring imagery of the murder he witnessed, but was powerless to prevent. "The Salton Sea" is a character-driven crime thriller about an unlikely hero entangled in a web of deceit and treachery. Full of unexpected twists and turns, this is a compelling and emotionally-charged story about loss and recovery set to the lonely resonant tones of jazz great Miles Davis' horn. Danny Parker (VAL KILMER) is a man in search of redemption, consumed by a sense of loneliness and alienation. Following the death of his wife (CHANDRA WEST), he is set adrift in a seedy underworld inhabited by an eclectic, and often comical, cast of characters united principally by their choice of drug: crystal methamphetamine. An accomplished jazz musician, Danny is now a low-life "tweaker" in Los Angeles who leads us through a frenzied maze, one from which he must emerge before his tenuous grip on reality snaps for good. In a bold attempt Danny secretly hatches a plan to serve as middle-man in a lucrative drug deal. With the help of his friend Jimmy "The Finn" (PETER SARSGAARD), Danny is introduced to Pooh-Bear (VINCENT D'ONOFRIO), a methamphetamine baron with a penchant for sadistic recreational games, who seals the deal. But in this mad world, nothing - most of all Danny - is what it seems.

Customer Reviews:

Slick, grimy noir........2007-05-27

The Salton Sea (D. J. Caruso, 2002)

It took me a while to get round to seeing this movie, and I regret that now. For some reason, there was about a five-year stretch where neo-noir was huge in Hollywood (blame Fargo, I guess), and then they just stopped coming. With a few exceptions that pretty much everyone ignored, The Salton Sea being one of them. This is a travesty, because The Salton Sea manages to avoid a lot of the cookie-cutter noir trappings from which so many of those films suffered from. I grant you, I'm not saying it's anything original. No noir film is, or it wouldn't be noir. But it stays firmly in the present in its sensibilities, rather than either being a period piece or being set in the middle of nowhere so it can act like a period piece (viz. U-Turn or the aforementioned Fargo). Caruso also roped a stellar cast into this project and got top-notch performances out of the lot, and that's often what makes the difference between a Sunset Blvd. and a [insert generic fifties noir no one, including you, remembers anymore].

Danny Parker (Val Kilmer) is a jazz trumpeter who also happens to be a crystal meth addict. He developed the addiction after the untimely death of his wife. As we open, we have no idea what killed her, or why, only that Danny's life is a pretty ugly mess. He hangs around with a similar batch of meth addicts, but the only one who he can really consider a friend is Jimmy (Peter Sarsgaard). We quickly find out... oh, hell, I can't tell you that. Everything after the first five minutes of this movie is spoilersville. It's not that the plot is terribly complex, but it's terribly linear--this isn't one of those mysteries where you get dropped a piece of information, and then everyone assumes you forget it until miss Marple is in the drawing room. When Danny finds something out, he immediately uses it. Tony Gayton's screenplay approaches the doling out of information to the viewer the same way. When you get something, you can immediately paste it into the bigger picture the movie is drawing for you. (This is by design, as Danny challenges you to figure out who he is, and why he's playing a trumpet in a burning room, in the opening scene of the film.)

I vaguely remember the critical reaction to The Salton Sea being lukewarm. I'm hoping that my memory is, as usual, less than reliable, `cause this movie has, and delivers, the goods. If you missed it the first time round, and you're fond of noir, I recommend it highly. *** ½

Best movie I have ever had the pleasure of seeing........2007-02-17

This is my number one film. Its the best example of neo-noir. Its kinda hard to get through at first, but as he says, just bear with him. It does a great job of screwing with your mind. Great flick, especialy if your into films like Memento or Fight Club.

Great Drug Culture Noir Movie.......2007-01-31

Largely panned by critics, this is one of those movies that takes you into a culture that not many movies have done before. The tweaker world is a rich source of material, and this film takes pretty good advantage. You have to pay attention, though; It's tricky and hip, both in it's dialog and look. The cinematography and locations have some astounding moments; The violence is brutal, the situations unpleasant, and the humor surprisingly good. All the supporting performances are excellent, and the ending packs a wallop. This is a personal favorite; It's off-kilter, but that's the way I like them.

Surprisingly Good Movie.......2007-01-30

I had decided to rent this film after seeing two recent Val Kilmer movies "Mindhunters" and "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" last year. Both movies were really good, so had decided to rent this movie as it seemed that Val Kilmer had really matured as an actor since his early days in movies like "Real Genius" and "Top Gun".

Kilmer plays trumpet player Danny Parker, who's wife has been murdered. Danny Parker takes matters into his own hands & goes undercover in attempts to find revenge/justice for his murdered wife. In the process, Danny Parker becomes a drug addict himself and immerses himself in the drug culture underworld. Slowly working his way to finding out who killed his beloved wife.

A Must See Great Movie.......2007-01-12

This is a great movie! It had a limited showing in theaters. Not too many people know about it but, in time I think it will have a huge following.

Average customer rating:

Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea

Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

The Salton Sea [Region 2]
Starring: Val Kilmer , Vincent D'Onofrio , Adam Goldberg , Luis Guzmán , and Doug Hutchison
Director: D.J. Caruso
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00008UAQ9

Average customer rating:

The Salton Sea [Region 2]
Starring: Val Kilmer , Vincent D'Onofrio , Adam Goldberg , Luis Guzmán , and Doug Hutchison
Director: D.J. Caruso
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00008YNFC

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