Death Valley

Lochlyn Munro was pretty good as Billy Rich, the main character, but the rest of these goofballs should be back bagging groceries by tomorrow--they were really horrible actors. Movie was obviously made on a shoestring budget--no location at all except the desert and a restroom inside a nightclub, but still, the cinematography was pretty good. I honestly have no idea how I made it through the entire movie, but to be honest, it's still got 8:12 to go and nothing at all could save it in the last 8 minutes. And again, to be honest, I didn't watch it straight through--I took a few breaks and paused it to do a little housework, cooking, web- surfing, etc. So now it's finally over--the ending is really, really ridiculous. SO melodramatic and goofy. You've got to wonder what they were thinking when they made this thing.

Although there was obviously not much in the way of budget for this film, and the acting isn't exactly the best, it's not a bad thriller. The desert surroundings are stunning and you really feel the isolation and desperation of the characters as the action heats up. If you can look past the predictability of the plot and just take it at face value, it's a surprisingly decent, little movie. Fortunately, the director doesn't try and make it too 'Arty', just sticking to clean, fresh shots which works very well and helps the overall flow of the picture. Once you get into the plot it keeps the viewer constantly entertained and surprised, even though the climatic final scenes are a bit of a let down. I've certainly seen a lot worse.