Outside Ozona

It is a truly offbeat dream-poem of a movie about the loneliness of the open prairie roads on the graveyard shift. The plot winds together several seemingly unrelated storylines united by the fact that all the characters listen to the same two-bit radio station, and seem headed for a common fate. The tension occurs because a serial killer is roaming the highways among the usual losers, misfits, daffodils and lonely hearts.

It's not quite a great movie because it tried to dominate the entire experience with murky tone and forlorn bluesy dialogue, and that is a difficult meal to concoct without grinding it all to cornball mush. The movie is the cinematic equivalent of a sad saxophone wail, and while it had some great moments, that type of mood is sometimes best left to the sax, because expressing it in dialogue can ring false and corny (the Sherilyn Fenn character was an unrealisticly shallow and cardboard cliche, for example).

On the other hand, if you have a taste for the offbeat, you may really enjoy this collection of anecdotes and vignettes. Because of a "this is my song, and I'm going to sing it my way" attitude, it's more interesting than a lot of big budget studio pictures.

A very eclectic cast

There's a killer on the road.

But the movie would have been much better ,if this character had been ruled out.Because the killer who kills in the name of Jesus has become a cliché.Ditto for the "radio vérité".

What remains is good indeed:best performance is given by Robert Forster who portrays a trucker with a golden heart;more than his sympathy for the young Indian ,it's his scene with the dog that will move you:as simple as it can be ,it goes straight to the heart.The clown and his wife are also endearing characters ,with their clumsiness.The writers have succeeded in giving their men and women some substance,which is quite a feat for a relatively short movie .And there are a lot of "stories" in the story ,like the tale of the elephant.The Indian girl,her grandma,the trucker,the two sisters and the circus people tell us a lot about us,and it becomes a good "road movie by night".But the thriller side,the killer,it was not so necessary ,and the last scene is too long and comes as an anticlimax.

Better than its current low rating anyway

'Outside Ozona' is an OOP dtv title largely forgotten about from the 90's with a plot of intertwining characters, life stories that you don't see get made much anymore. At the center a serial killer and a radio station as everyone driving down the back roads of California. It's cast might be the first thing you notice, but it's real life sentiment fleshed out by fine atmosphere that brings it home.

The latest victim sits dead behind the wheel with the radio still on. It's DJ Dix (Taj Mahal) who butts head with manager Floyd (Meat Loaf) as a broke couple Wit (Kevin Pollak) and Earlene (Penelope Ann Miller) take to the road when he's fired from his latest job. Sisters Marcy (Sherilyn Fenn) & Bonnie (Beth Ann Styne) on a cross-country trip pick up Alan (David Paymer) who's car has broken down. Widowed long haul driver Odell Parks (Robert Forster) prone to stops has a chance meeting with Reba Twosalt (Kateri Walker) who he lends a hand. Meanwhile FBI Agent Deene (Lucy Webb) follows two steps behind.

Chances are you're thinking a large part will be figuring out who the killer is, but thankfully that's not the case. If you're paying attention you'll know before it's spelled out. The enjoyment is watching, listening to a bunch of people from different paths, perspectives. Taj does a great job as the DJ who's the backbone of the tale. Pollak & Miller give a honest picture of unfulfillment, drifting & countless bad decisions. Forster, Walker supply a large dose of heart, warmth.

'Outside Ozona' is one of those movies that looks to be dividing people. Either you'll enjoy it's simple down to earth nature, characters & accept the contrived bit of how they all come together or you'll find the whole experience a bore. I saw this back in the late 90's and I thought it was alright. That feeling is still largely here two decades later.

I liked this movie because of it's excellent character development. All except the serial killer were interesting people. However, the main protagonist was the least developed character, and that weakened the whole film. The converging story lines maintained interest for the most part, other than a couple overlong stories that were nothing more than padding. The last scene in the radio station was totally unnecessary. Acting was above average, and the desert locations felt right. When the characters eventually meet their destiny, it is handled far better than many mainstream movies. A little script tightening, and more development of the killer would have improved what is already an above average film. - MERK

As I was flicking through channels one night I just caught the beginning of a film. It was probably the names of Swoozie Kurtz and Meat Loaf that made me go 'what the heck, I'll watch'. The acting is not superb, but the film doesn't demand great acting. The script isn't brilliant, but the film doesn't demand a great script. Taj Mahal (an interesting name) is the highlight as latenight radio host Dix Mayal. A few gory scenes but interesting to see how the night progresses.