Cheap Red Rock West (DVD) (Nicolas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dennis Hopper) (John Dahl) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Red Rock West

Don't miss this one too.....
I hadn't heard much about this film, nothing in fact, when I stumbled across it in the video store. I was pleased to discover a taut little noir picture about a down-and-out ex-marine (Nicolas Cage) looking for employment in the wrong town. What ensues is a winding story involving murder for hire and a femme fatale. Cage and Boyle put in solid performances and Hopper is vaguely creepy as usual. I liked the pacing of this movie; it kept up the tension without overdoing it. With crazy twists and some laughs it kept me interested the whole time despite being occasionally formulaic. Too bad this movie was overlooked by the public, I advise you not to make the same mistake.

---

Film Noir, yes, but with a new dimension
Yes, this is Film Noir, but it's a new step in Film Noir evolution....and not just because it's funny! Cage's character does get into hot water because of one tiny slide into temptation. When he's mistaken for a hired killer, his desperation for money gets the better of him. But he's just too nice to do the job. As he goes deeper into the muck, he has three choices: give in & be corrupted...or walk away & leave these nut-cases to their own dysfunctional devices. Even that wouldn't be enough, though: he's determined to go with the third choice: stay in the game & Make The World a Better Place.

Cage can pull it off. His essential goodness seems very real, and the befuddled expression on his face, when confronted by the greed of the other characters, is hilarious. The movie has enough action, but it's really a well-crafted balance of thriller and fable.

---

A Nice Dose of Murderous Double Crossing
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.

The DVD transfer is clean and clear.