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John Dahl's Red Rock West is a neat, taut, stripped down piece of cut-and-thrust film-making without gimmickry nor a single false string attached. In a current contemporary world of American film-making, and one that was almost certainly predominant at the time of Red Rock West's inception, how wonderful it is to uncover a film that refrains from the over indulgence of extravagance and the ideology that awe is built on a foundation of overkill and visuals. That's not to say Red Rock West is without extravagance nor awe, such is Dahl's ability, that the film is full of a number of various incidences and twists that are exactly these things and gotten across by way of little more than a glance from one of the character's or an individual cut of the camera. When we hark back to America's independent cinematic boom of the late 1980s and going on into the early 1990s, certainly a boom that saw a number of films and individual directors both honoured and recognised on the European film circuit at the top level in a series of Golden Palm nominations, the displaying of Red Rock West shows we must not glance over the name of Dahl when speaking of both the films and directors of that era, namely: the Coen Brothers; Steven Soderburgh; Spike Lee and Tarantino, et al.

The film revolves around Nicolas Cage's character named Michael Williams, an ex-Marine of American nationality down on his luck and strapped for money in the dusty outback of Wyoming. He lives out of his car; uses random road side troughs full of water as makeshift sinks and struggles to find work, the latest failing being a construction site job that doesn't come through, although later on, he'll find ample opportunity at constructing something: a monstrosity of a scenario for himself. Unbeknownst to us at the time, he's going into the misadventure he'll come to have with a prior tragedy of having served time in the Vietnam War, but suffering during this stretch at the hands of a missile attack on a base in Lebanon he was positioned at which forced him into enduring a glut of both chaos and death. The event that may very well lend itself to Williams' dishevelled and down-beat tone and attitude, something Cage pulls off in that naturalistic manner he's done so on occasion since, shares eerie parallels with what will come to unfold around him as another glut of death and chaos unfolds around a man who has signed up for something you only realise you don't want to be anywhere near when it gets ugly as 'wrong place – wrong time' scenario once again kicks in.

The devilish premise sees Williams pretend to be the Texan hit-man an apparent bar owner named Wayne (Walsh) called for some days ago so as to do some local dirty-work he wants taken care of. His looming over a seated Cage whilst in the office an early establishing of power, the sort of power that he'll come to have over him as Williams is forced throughout into proverbially dancing to the tune of others. But rather than eliminate the target, Wayne's wife played by Lara Flynn Boyle, Williams warns her of the predicament and that her marriage ought quite clearly be an item of concern form here on in. Once all is said and done, the real hit-man in Dennis Hopper's Lyle shows up in jet black Texan attire and similarly coloured car more resembling a hearse than anything else, whilst developments and complications in exactly who it is the chief of police is in the whole area open up.

For Cage's character, and like in most good film noir when dealing with the down-trodden lead whom treads a fine line between right and wrong, the persistent idea of torn morals floats to the surface relatively quickly and consistently in Red Rock West. In just observing the premise, the notion of Williams illegally accepting the offer of being paid to kill someone before refraining from doing it when confronted with the innocent figure of Wayne's wife, Dahl highlights his character's soon-to-be prominent ever shifting; ever changing attitudes to what crime infused activity is playing out around him. Throughout, Williams lies; shoots; kills and steals but additionally saves; offers salvation and actually avoids violence on several occasions when straight forward murder would have offered a simple way out of a predicament. Given this, Dahl expertly manoeuvres Williams from one town in the form of Red Rock to another and then back over the border again, a sort of physical flitting from one place to another in what is a physical manifestation of both the above theories of a film noir's male lead as well as Cage's character's constantly ambiguous hopping from justified in his actions to not as so.

Red Rock West moulds a fascinating, and quite terrifying at times, tale out of all these elements; combining a number of items such as double-crosses; multiple identities and intense connections characters have with one another, the sorts that they're forced into forging before later being asked what they truly mean to them. Dahl additionally, and in a very basic sense, taps into a certain idea of post-war disillusionment through his lead in Williams' disconnection from the rest of society seeing him inhabit a desolate and often incomprehensible rural locale in which he just about scrapes by. This, as an old war injury refrains him from making any true advancement in a chosen field of work. Red Rock West is a tight, gripping piece; the sort that arrives with a steady and effective eye on a variety of items all the while under the control of a steady, focused hand.

Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) can't nail down a job due to his leg. He's running low on money. He goes to Red Rock to look for a drilling job. The bartender Wayne Brown (J.T. Walsh) assumes Michael to be Lyle from Dallas. He has hired Lyle (Dennis Hopper) to kill his cheating wife Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael takes the money and tells her. She makes a counter offer to double the money. He writes a letter to the sheriff. When he tries to leave town, he accidentally hits a man. He brings the injured man to the hospital but the man has actually been shot. Then Wayne Brown walks in as the sheriff of this little town but that's not the end of this twisty plot.

This is stripped down. There is a desolate feel to everything. The characters are dark. Nicolas Cage does some of his best work. Dennis Hopper is doing his dark killer character. Lara Flynn Boyle nails the femme fatale act. It does add a few too many craziness but I do like the hard noir style.

A basically decent drifter (Nicolas Cage) lands in the tiny town of Red Rock, Wyoming, looking for work. When he stops in the bar, the bar owner (J. T. Walsh) asks why he took so long and asks him to step in the back office so they can discuss the job. Cage plays along, then discovers the work is to kill the bar owner's wife. He takes the money, drives out to the ranch to warn the wife (Laura Flynn Boyle), and starts to leave town. Problems arise and he returns to town in time to witness the real hit man (Dennis Hopper) arrive. Things go downhill for the Cage character after that.

This is an excellent, convoluted, well-acted and offbeat mystery. Funny, too. Cage never knows what's happening, but everybody else assumes he does. Dennis Hopper again plays a charming semi-psycho but he hadn't patented the style yet so it seems fresh. J. T. Walsh was a great character actor who died young. He's outstanding as the bar owner...who also happens to be the sheriff. He has one or two other secrets as well. And if Boyle doesn't rev your engine, you may need a tune up. She's more ruthless than the lot of them.

Red Rock West (1993)

Nicolas Cage gets embroiled in a deadly crime without at first knowing it, and the dominos lead to increasing peril, adventure and misadventure in the wild forlorn American West of the 1990s. Red Rock West is often brutal and sometimes hilarious, and Cage pulls off the mixture with his usual sardonic wit and wary ease.

Is the plot over the top? Yes. Is Dennis Hopper perfect as a crazed, almost likable killer? Yes. Does Cage stand a chance? Well, you have to watch and see. It never lets up, and it took me by surprise the first time I saw it. On second viewing yesterday, I was surprised at how well it held up, how well constructed it was, and how macabre and funny it was at the same time.

Director Ron Dahl (who also helped write) is known more for his TV work, but with Rounders and this film he shows a deft hand with sensational plots. It's saved by its humor by the way, and by the caricatures. The bar is sleazy, the cops questionable. And don't miss a really inspired cameo by Dwight Yoakam as a truck driver.

A nice little neo-noir with a good story and strong cast that held the tension all the way through. Hat's off to the director John Dahl for making this. Liked also his movie 'Rounders' and I will probably check out some of his other work in the future.

A little known neo - noir (read all about this after watching this) gem, RRW is supremely well constructed and makes great use of its plot and minimalist setting.

I would request watchers to not read the IMDb summary and pledge head long into it. It's unpredictable and is a lot of fun to watch, without knowing where the narrative is heading.

Nicholas Cage, Dennis Hopper and JT Walsh give A grade performances. But, it is the assured direction and the superb screenplay that keep you glued to the screen.

Highly recommended.

In any number of films, you can find Nicholas Cage as a strong, silent hero, Dennis Hopper as a homicidal maniac, Lara Flynn Boyle as a vamp/tramp, and the late, lamented J.T. Walsh as the heavy. These are the types of roles these four can play in their sleep, and they have done so often enough that to see them playing them again borders on cliche. What a relief, therefore, that John Dahl, a master at getting a lot of mood out of a little action, directed this nuanced noirish thriller. Hopper manages to keep from going over the top, Cage shows a little more depth than his usually-superficial action heroes, Boyle is by turns sultry, innocent, and scheming, and one gets a sense of the hard iron of the soul that is central to his character, Wayne. Dahl's direction gives a sense of the emptiness of the Big Sky country where the story takes place while also being intimate enough to show how a wrinkled brow can indicate a radical change of plot in store. The plot twists are top-notch, and one of the other great twists in this movie is that some of the supporting characters actually act as if they have brains. It isn't often that minor characters like deputy sheriffs have more brains than their headlining superiors. But with a director as smart as Dahl, you shouldn't be surprised by the intelligence of anything connected with this film. An excellent movie.

Perhaps inspired by the Coen's "Blood Simple", this thriller has some tense moments and good humour. The low budget affair is offset by it's stellar cast. Nicolas Cage is the down-on-his-luck protagonist. What is fun about his character is that he always gets punished for doing the right thing. Opposite him is J.T. Walsh. Known for his disturbing role in "The Grifters", he is a heavyweight that only can be upstaged by...Dennis Hopper.

Face it, once Dennis Hopper enters the movie, all the other crazy antics going on are put on the wayside. Hopper plays a hitman who gets wind of a bigger scam and all bets are off. Laura Flynn Boyle, coming off her notable work in "Twin Peaks", has a minor role, but holds her own as well. Even the naive deputies are endearing with their by-the-book characters.

The script moves along at a good clip, clocking in at 1 hour 38 minutes, and the audience is thankful for the filmmakers leaving out the chaff, and moving steadily from twist to twist. If you come across this title, it is worth a watch.

Vaguely reminiscent of great 1940's westerns, like "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre" (1948), "Red Rock West" is a story about conscience, greed, and betrayal. Michael (Nicolas Cage) is a down and out, but honest, young man from Texas who goes west in search of work and money. He finds both, but not in the way he had expected.

The film's screenplay contains plenty of surprises and plot twists. Excellent cinematography, adroit film editing, and moody western music add tension and suspense. The expansiveness of the big sky country provides a wonderful setting. And the acting ranges from good to excellent, with great performances from Dennis Hopper and J.T. Walsh. Dwight Yoakam's specially recorded country/western song provides the film with a strong finale.

Correctly labeled as neo-noir, "Red Rock West" strikes me as being something else, as well. The plot is full of amazing coincidences and improbable timing, so much so that others may regard the screenplay as flawed. Ordinarily, I would agree. In this case, however, when combined with the moody atmosphere, and the fact that the small town of Red Rock seems almost empty of normal daily life, the coincidences and unlikely timing suggest a story that, beyond "noirish", is ... surreal. It's almost as if fate deliberately intervenes with improbable events so as to force Michael to come to grips with himself. From this point of view, the coincidences are not script flaws at all. They are necessary plot points in a nightmarish story of a young man who must confront his own demons ... disguised as other characters.

All we need here is Rod Serling, in a postscript, explaining, in his always clearly enunciated voice, that ... a young man, searching for himself, stops in a small, almost deserted town a thousand miles from nowhere. It's his final layover in a journey to ... the twilight zone.

When a promised job for Texan Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) fails to materialise in Wyoming , he goes to another location to look for an employment . Upon arriving to a small town his car breaks down , then Michel drifts into the hick town of Red Rock , there he's surprised when bar owner Brown (early deceased J. T. Walsh) assumes he is a hitman and hands over five grand as down payment on killing his wife Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle) . When the real hitman arrives , complications ensue . During his escape, things go awry, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hitman who goes after him . And that's just , the first 20 minutes .... All Roads Lead To Intrigue. Where nothing is as it seems.

Nice and complex Film Noir from a perversely corrupt , dark and traditionally condemned World in which deceiving , corruption , twisted romance , treason , ordinary Femme Fatale , numerous double-crosses and murders are ordinary happenings . The film contains an excellent atmosphere in which the mood of obsession , ambition and desire was never more suggestive and powerful . An enjoyable and attractive plot intensely revealed at every level with several surprises , twists and turns . Lots of action , crosses and double-crosses and a wickedly amusing heroine make for a devilishly entertaining movie . Interesting and tortuous storyline written by Rick Dahl and director John Dahl himself following the source novels of the 40s written by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler as well as classic films as Out of the Past , The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon . Main and support cast are pretty good. Nicolas Cage gives an acceptable acting in his usual style as a drifter who's mistaken for a hitman, taking full advantage of the situation, collects the money and runs . He is very well accompanied by an excellent cast providing awesome acting ,such as : Dennis Hooper , J. T. Walsh , and Timothy Carhart . And special mention for Lara Flynn Boyle who gives the interpretation of her life as the most rotten , evil femme fatale to ever hit the big screen and in similar style to Linda Fiorentino from The Last seduction (1994).

The motion picture was well directed by John Dahl , considered to be the master of modern noir , delivering another stylish hit exploring the darkest of some ambitious people . Dahl shares fine friendhip with director Francis Ford Coppola , in fact Coppola was an outspoken fan of Dahl's debut feature film Kill me again (1989) , and helped Red Rock West (1993) get off the ground by convincing his nephew Nicolas Cage to star in the film. Dahl has directed interesting , successful and prestigious action , drama , and noir triller movies , such as : The last seduction, Unforgettable , Rounders , Kill me again , Joy ride , You kill me and this Red Rock West. Rating : 7/10. Well worth seeing . Above average. The flick will appeal to Nicolas Cage , Lara Flynn Boyle and Dennis Hooper fans .

If you like plot turns, this is your movie. It is impossible at any moment to predict what will happen next. Nothing is as it appears or ends as you think it will. The characters are all gritty and engaging. Cage is at his best. Dennis Hopper again shows his delightfully sinister side. JT Walsh is perfect in his last performance. Laura Boyle sizzles. Dwight Yoakum makes a film debut superbly in a cameo. I categorize this movie as "I am having a really, really, really bad day" film. Not a slow minute in this film. A real sleeper. This movie is underrated and, sadly, overlooked.

This sub-genre, by many called neo-noir, had a big resurgence during the 1990s, and John Dahl was one of the forerunners before Quentin Tarantino hijacked the trend and created more or less his own sub-genre. Seen in retrospect, this largely unsuccessful film underlines both the appeal and the shortcomings of the 90s neo-noirs with its often playful turn of events, but just as often caricatured characters and situations. Red Rock West has got a star-studded cast consisting of a balding Nicolas Cage, a wildly overacting Dennis Hopper, a Lara Flynn Boyle trying to be seductive and seasoned, and the always dependable J. T. Walsh whose character is ultimately underdeveloped. It is during the film's early parts, when Walsh and Cage first meet, that Red Rock West comes closest to being that vibrant, intense movie Dahl arguably wanted to make. By the final third, it has all mostly become a messy spectacle run by a hyperactive Hopper.

'Red Rock West' is a case of mistaken identity gone horribly wrong. Nicolas Cage stars as Michael. Arriving at a drill site for a job, Michael is handed an application form, while he was under the impression he already had the job. Leaving the site, he heads to a small town called 'Red Rock', where he is mistaken for a hitman hired by Wayne (J. T. Walsh) to kill his wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle).

With no intention of killing Suzanne, but desperate for cash, Michael agrees. When Suzanne doubles her husbands offer in return for Michael to kill Wayne, things get more than just a bit complicated - especially also when Michael learns Wayne is actually the town's sheriff.

The plot thickens when the real hitman, Lyle (Dennis Hopper) shows up. What follows, is a cat and mouse game with a few twists. I actually enjoyed the first two acts more than the final act. The 'romance interest' felt forced and out of place, considering the circumstances. With much of the mystery element dissipating and the final act becoming all too formulaic, it started to feel like an episode from a TV crime series.

Both the antagonists, Wayne and Lyle, made such obvious mistakes during the final act, I almost found them too lenient (towards their 'victims') and their behaviour unrealistic given the situations they found themselves in.

'Red Rock West' is still a noteworthy film and worth a watch. The performances are very good and I enjoyed the setting in the small town.

Red Rock West is what all films should be like. A genuinely interesting film with enough twists and turns to satisfy any sane human, it was tragically overlooked on its release. With Nicolas Cage (before his career went into orbit) in fine form and Dennis Hopper stealing scene after scene, this is a movie that withstands repeated watchings. The rest of the cast are uniformly excellent and the quirkiness of the setting (a small town in the middle of nowhere) never gets in the way. In short this is a great little film that deserves to be seen.

"Red Rock West" is one of those drama-noir ensemble movies where the bad guys are really bad and the good guys...well, they're just kinda bad. It's a movie where the brooding, plodding, and unrelenting hero, hang-faced Cage, never smiles because there's never anything to smile about. It's a movie where all the characters are caricatures and there's never a dull moment no matter how improbable the convoluted plot may have become to achieve the desired result. It's a movie where no one trusts anyone and everyone is after the loot. Overall it's a good old fashioned Hollywood popcorn movie.

This is an excellent modern-day film noir...."excellent" in that it's interesting, start-to-finish. There are some holes in here and some goofy parts that make you shake your head in disbelief.....but I haven't found anyone who didn't get caught up in this story. The movie has the right amount of action, suspense, plot twists and interesting characters. In addition, it sports some nice colors and cinematography plus a good guitar-based soundtrack.

I labeled this crime movie a "film noir" because it's gritty and the all the characters are no good. Even the only supposed-good guy, played by Nicholas Cage, gets himself in trouble by lying and has a quick affair he should't have. He also does something at the end which isn't right, but I'm not going the spoil it by saying. Suffice to say, however, that the rest of the characters are so bad they make Cage look good!

Speaking of "bad guys," does anyone do it better than Dennis Hopper? Not many. At least in the "deranged" category, he's tough to beat. Lara Flynn Boyle is fun to watch for a bunch of reasons. J.T. Walsh gives another great supporting performance, too.

This is one of those films that never got much publicity, but it should have. You'll have fun watching this. By the way, try saying the name of this movie out loud three times fast without messing it up!

Michael - Nicolas Cage - is a former Marine down on his luck. He travels from Texas to Wyoming to land an oil rig job but his bum knee revelation nixes his chance. He's a liability says the boss. Low on money and prospects he wanders into a town Red Rock West. At a bar, Mike is startled when the bar owner Wayne welcomes him as the man he hired out of Texas and hands him $5000. That's the upfront money, more when the job is done. Broke, Mike plays along until he finds out the job is to murder Wayne's wife Suzanne. Grabbing the money, he heads to Wayne's home but only to warm Suzanne of the plan. She offers Mike more money to bump off Wayne. Wanting to get out of Red Rock West now, Michael tries to escape but the real hitman, Lyle - Dennis Hopper - has just arrived. Michael is caught in a web of lies and danger. Why did he ever arrive on this crooked place? This lower budget film delivers a punch. The great cast performs well while the scenery is gorgeous. But, it is rather violent so be forewarned. Categorized as a Western Noir, RRW has its moments as the dark tale gets darker and darker.

They don't make them like they used to. And I'm applying that cliched quote to a movie from 1993! Well this is a truly original film unlike most thrillers and westerns. This could be classified as a western is because of it gorgeous southern landscapes, country music soundtrack, and modern cowboys. But as a traditional thriller, it has more twists and unpredictability than most.

The movie stars Nicolas Cage during his heyday. Now, he is one of Hollywood's biggest jokes. In the 80s and 90s he was one of the best in the business. Right here is one of his best: he chose the right screenplay to star in and he plays a normal guy. If only he could do this again.

"Red Rock West" also stars the legendary Dennis Hopper, alongside JT Walsh and Lara Flynn-Boyle. The creators of the film sure chose the right people to star in this!

Nicolas Cage plays Texas drifter, Michael, with an injured leg who needs work. Stumbling upon the rural Wyoming town of Red Rock, Michael meets bartender, Wayne (Walsh), who mistakes Michael as a hit man he has hired to kill his wife. During their slow and vague conversation, Michael lies about who he is in a bid to get work. After informing Wayne's wife, Ann (Boyle) about the conspiracy, Michael is ready to leave Red Rock behind him with the money Wayne paid him. As he leaves Red Rock, he accidentally hits a man with his car, who Michael doesn't know has been shot. Doing the right thing, Michael takes the man to the hospital. There, Michael encounters Wayne again and all hell breaks loose. This leads to him accidentally meeting the real hitman, who is Dennis Hopper.

My summary may be long, but I did my best to not give much away. This just sets up everything into motion. Just writing it, I wanted to keep going and dive into its countless twists.

Without knowing what will happen next, your eyes will be glued to the screen. Each reveal feels natural and rewarding. Nothing happens out of necessity because the Dahl brothers had a hankering for something else to happen and they needed to bridge a gap. A couple of clumsy moments don't dwindle down the plot.

"Red Rock West" did not receive good test screenings, so it got put to HBO and other tv outlets. But word of mouth caused it to go back to theatres a year later where it became one of 1994's hottest films. I wish I could go back and witness its boom.

The Dahl brothers (the men that wrote and directed this) could have been the next Coen brothers, but I do not know what happened. For most directors, this would have been their peak. But for the Dahls, it was a start.

4/4

The more I watch Nicholas Cage, the more I appreciate him as an actor. Watching this movie now (in 2005), I can see that it doesn't really fit into the genre of movies that was coming out in the early 90s. I don't really think it can be considered a film noir, but it is pretty dark at times, due mostly to the lighting and odd personalities of the characters.

Typical performances from each of the three main actors, who all did a good job with their roles. I thought, however, that Hopper and Boyle's characters were left undeveloped, as it was sometimes hard to understand what they were doing and why they were doing it. Hopper is a love him or hate him kind of guy. The plot is really good, and although I found some parts to be very unrealistic, there were parts where I had to hand it to the director (i.e. when he first sees the sheriff). All in all, this movie is definitely worth watching. ***1/2

Seems like a 90's attempt at crime film noir in Wyoming. Absurd, ridiculous plot turns and character decisions. Someone should have told the writers that throwing in facts about the characters (a veteran - how deep), with trite juvenile dialogue doesn't count as character development.

Cage's facial expressions entertaining, but not much else. Lead female looks the part, but otherwise bland.

Sooooo dumb. Perhaps could have been better as more of a straight comedy. Maybe watch while you're doing something else.

When will I learn to ignore critic's ratings.

Watch Fargo or Double Indemnity again instead.