Sur la route d'Ozona

A not-so-creepy tale of travelers in the night in the middle of nowheresville around the junction of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. Eventually each character will cross paths with one another. In the meantime there's a serial killer out there, too. Robert Forster just did not have a big enough role in this or else maybe it coulda had a chance to better than it is. Taj Mahal as the DJ was excellent, however; his role really helped make this worth watching. Overall it did not pack enough punch and may not be that memorable in the long run. It failed to impress me that much and I will not be in a hurry to ever see it again.

5.3 / 10 Stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

'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.

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

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

'Outside Ozona', an off-beat dark comedy/thriller directed by J.S. Cardone, is a little gem, brightened by a cast of established Hollywood actors. The story involves a serial killer, pursued by agent Lucy Webb (in a role reminiscent of Frances McDormand, in 'Fargo'), but it is really a character study of a group of people whose lives will be changed forever by the killer, during one eventful night.

Standouts in the large cast include Taj Mahal, as a burned-out deejay at a country music station, who switches the playlist to rhythm and blues, and ruminates about life; Robert Forster, portraying a good-hearted trucker dealing with loneliness following the death of his wife; Kevin Pollack and Penelope Ann Miller (who is EXCELLENT!), as an unemployed circus clown and his dancer/hooker girlfriend; and Sherilyn Fenn (cast WAY against type!), as a shrewish, materialistic woman travelling with her sister to visit their father. As each character's story unfolds, you are drawn into a rich, involving tale of humor, melancholy, and a touch of the macabre!

The film is very well-paced, and will hold your attention, throughout, and the explosive climax is both exciting and emotionally satisfying!

Take a drive down the highway 'Outside Ozona'...you'll enjoy the trip!