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Castle Rock Entertainment
Darkwoods Productions
Not part of a collection.
If you're looking for the truth, you've come to the wrong place.
After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn", becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.
John Chard
May 30, 2015 · via TMDB
My name is Tom Van Allen. I'm a trumpet player. The Salton Sea is directed by D. J. Caruso and written by Tony Gayton. It stars Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgard, Doug Hutchinson, Anthony LaPaglia, Debora Kara Unger, Adam Goldberg and Luis Guzmán. Music is scored by Thomas Newman and cinematography by Amir Mokri. Danny Parker (Kilmer) is hanging out with a bunch of methamphetamine users, apparently in an effort to numb the pain of his one time life that saw his wife murdered. Or is he? The word of mouth for it was strong, but no sooner did it hit cinemas than it disappeared off the face of the earth. However, the cult cinema world is often a vibrant place to lurk, enter there and you find The Salton Sea, a wonderfully tricksy and off beat neo-noir awash with misery, revenge, redemption and odd ball characters that are either stuck in purgatory, or heading to nowhereville. Protagonist Danny Parker leads the film, a man whose identity is fractured after being dealt a blow from the hands of fate, very much in limbo mentally, he none the less has goals to achieve, nothing is never quite as it seems until director Caruso wants us in on the side-shifts. Danny is often in the company of danger and weird characters, from a hopped up harpoon wielding loon, to a no nose psycho (too much meth up the nose will make you lose it kids), via dirty cops and meth heads, it's a world of unease, the twisty plot drawing the viewer in with a kinky smile on its face. Caruso also pulls off the neat trick of placing humour in this off kilter world without hurting the dramatic harshness of the thematics. There's a quite brilliant sequence that shows a botched crime being attempted by the meth head crew, this we watch at the same time as they discuss about actually pulling the crime off. That it involves a stool sample from Bob Hope should tell you all you need to know about the intelligence of the wannabe perps! Caruso's camera is fluid and he uses certain neo-noir visual tricks of the trade as well (time lapses etc), and he also has a knack for varying the mood without averting the slowly bubbling to the surface pace that the story requires. Kilmer is superb, perfectly low-key, there is no need for rage, the yearning for revenge and redemption, for identity, is brought out via calmly delivered dialect, and it's very affecting. D'Onofrio as Pooh Bear, the afore mentioned no nose fella, steals the movie with another of his off the planet nut-jobs. Elsewhere, Sarsgard is as appealing as he has ever been as Danny's stoner best mate, Hutchinson and LaPaglia cut fine figures as dirty cops, while Guzmán and Danny Trejo leave an impressively grungy mark. The only disappointment is the lack of screen time for Kara Unger, a fine actress, she is playing what turns out to be a critical femme fatale role, but really we needed more of her. It's a rare misstep in an otherwise cracking neo-noir that is highly recommended to fans of similarly devilishly fun pictures. 8.5/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Val Kilmer
Tom Van Allen | Danny Parker
Vincent D'Onofrio
Pooh-Bear
Adam Goldberg
Kujo
Luis Guzmán
Quincy
Doug Hutchison
Gus Morgan
Anthony LaPaglia
Al Garcetti
Glenn Plummer
Bobby
Peter Sarsgaard
Jimmy the Finn
Deborah Kara Unger
Colette
Chandra West
Liz
BD Wong
Bubba
R. Lee Ermey
Verne Plummer
Shalom Harlow
Nancy
Shirley Knight
Nancy Plummer
Meat Loaf
Bo
Danny Trejo
Little Bill
Azura Skye
Teresa
Rex Linn
Detective Bookman
Josh Todd
Big Bill
Charles Carroll
Zapruder
Mpho Koaho
Kid Selling Guns
Val Lauren
Third Shooter
Tom Fitzpatrick
Karaoke Man
Christian J. Fletcher
Stool Sample Courier
Rene Rivera
FBI Agent
Doc Duhame
Skipper
Rosario Dawson
Tweaker (uncredited)
Andrew Shulkind
Camera Intern
Amir Mokri
Director of Photography
Chris Haarhoff
Steadicam Operator
Bill Corso
Makeup Department Head
Ken Diaz
Tattoo Designer
Manny Perry
Stunt Coordinator
Danny Rogers
Stunts
Danny Wynands
Stunts
Doc Duhame
Stunts
Henry Kingi
Stunts
Tim Trella
Stunts
D.J. Caruso
Director
Tracey Wadmore-Smith
First Assistant Editor
Deborah Aquila
Casting
Eriq La Salle
Producer
Frank Darabont
Producer
Terence Blanchard
Musician
Thomas Newman
Original Music Composer
Mark Mangini
Sound Effects Designer
Tony Gayton
Screenplay
Birth of a MURDERER
The Dark Knight
Pulp Fiction
Once Upon a Time in America
The Silence of the Lambs
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Wild Strawberries
Amadeus
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
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Fargo
Rio Bravo
Freaks
Edward Scissorhands
Twelve Monkeys
Arsenic and Old Lace
A Few Good Men
True Romance
East of Eden
Barton Fink
Miller's Crossing
Saw
The Experiment
Duel
Scarface
Bad Education
Belle de Jour
Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery
28 Days Later
K-PAX
A History of Violence
Frenzy
American Graffiti
Strange Days
One Too Many
Insomnia
Heart Blackened
Oliver Twist
Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie and Tupac
Jarhead
48 Hrs.
Silent Hill
Swimming Pool
Saw III
Next Door
Taken 3
Saw IV
The Million Dollar Hotel
Beverly Hills Cop III
Maggie Moore(s)
Seven Years of Night
Have a Nice Day
Salton Sea
D Company
Fletcher and Jenks
Happy Gypsies
Lost Highway
The French Connection
Hunting Season
A History of Violence
Strange Days
The Substitute
Basic Instinct
Mr. Brooks
Kiss of the Dragon
Harry Brown
Cop Land
Blindfire
Too Late
King of New York
Farewell, My Lovely
Coffy
Kiss the Girls
8MM
War
Class of 1984
Rise of the Footsoldier 3
Rise of the Footsoldier
Brooklyn's Finest
Homicide
Vice Squad
Crown Vic
Marlowe
Wonderland
Mulholland Falls
Until Death
The Rookie
Walking Tall: Lone Justice
Apr 23, 2002
Hollywood, California
Apr 26, 2002
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Bicara Cinta
2020
The Pied Pipers of Harlow
1965
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
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Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
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