Fausse piste

In a south of the border setting, Lithgow is the quintessential Ugly American, Arguette his bimbo wife, and Anderson a bland non-entity on the run from the law. If you like seeing Arguette undraped (and it certainly beats being poked in the eye with a sharp stick) this third rate flick merits a look. Other than that, not much to recommend.

A couple of points that haven't been mentioned: Setting aside the plot, this flic has very good Mexican mise-en-scene, at MANY different points. It's up there with "Bring me the head of Alfredo G." for capturing the feel of Mexico. For instance, the wonderful cloudy scenes at the start, of the port city. {Where is this? I think it's supposed to be Veracruz, but does not look at all like the V. city that I recalled, in terms of the geography...) Also, I very much liked that decaying motel in the jungle-- where things really get crazy between our jolly trio.

Second, the soundtrack is by Los Lobos so you have the enjoyable moody "wrong man theme" during these opening shots of the port city. Also a soulful ballad, as the credits roll up, at the end.

The biggest liability is Anderson, who is so insipid, has none of the appeal that one would hope from a lead "hero." This leaves a sorry hole at the center of the movie. (On the other hand, I rather liked Lithgow's nutty over-acting.) Definitely recommended for those who'd like a brief Mexican getaway.

The story is basically very simple: innocent man runs away from police who suspect him from murder. The makers of this movie chose not to create another hide and seek movie. Instead, their attention went to the characters, and not only of the protagonists. John Lithgow is brilliant as tha loudmouth doing 'monkey business', Kevin Anderson is great as the introvert suspect and Rosanna Arquette is lovely to watch as the sensual Missy. If look close, you'll notice that also the characters of the Mexican policemen have been drawn nicely. A movie for those who like to watch better movies only.

a brilliant film, wonderfully directed by Jim McBride: it breaks all the cheesy corny conventions of the "TV movie", the story swerves and moves and lives just as vibrantly as the characters do, this is one of the better movies I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. The movie transcends genre, the acting is believable, the characters are neither good nor bad, moral nor immoral, human or inhuman, there's a clever combination of all these things which makes them complex and frustrating maybe but never boring.

The acting is amazing, the story has real depth: it might not hit you straight away but the characters show their personality traits, and as a result more and more of themselves as the film goes on.

Rosanna Arquette oozes sexuality. Kevin Anderson plays a sailor wrongly accused of murder. John Lithgow plays a character that seems better suited to Dennis Hopper, drinking and insulting his way through the film. These three are thrown together in an extended road trip along the back roads of rural Mexico, while being pursued by the police. Nothing is certain as half-truths, double deals, and double crosses, unfold. Unfortunately not a lot happens in "The Wrong Man", but the acting is solid, and it is difficult to turn away from Rosanna Arquette in skimpy outfits, or topless. There is not a lot of action and at times things get quite talky, however watching Arquette can quickly make you forget any minor faults the movie may have. - MERK