‘A nuclear blast is just a minor nuisance to a determined tweeker’
After the murder of his loving wife, musician Tom Van Allen (Val Kilmer) slides into the world of methamphetamine addicts, becoming Danny Parker; a minor drug dealer, a police informant and a determined ‘speed freak’. Working with two abusive cops and an assortment of colourful junkies ‘Danny’ doggedly tries to figure out who killed his wife before his new life and identity consumes him.
The film boasts a great ensemble cast, anchored by Val Kilmer who layers his damaged character not only with pathos, but also with anger and driven with a single-minded sense of purpose. While the rest of the cast are uniformly good, Vincent D’ononfrio nearly steals the entire show as the larger than life Pooh-Bear. A deranged red neck dealer, who took so much ‘crank’ they had to cut his nose off, the unhinged Pooh-Bear is a great creation, exuding a crazed menace. You’ll never look at a badger the same way again!
Director D.J Caruso has crafted a pretty unique film that works equally well as a black comedy and as a dark thriller. Coming across like ‘Trainspotting’ crossed with a modern day film noir directed by Guy Ritchie, ‘The Salton Sea’ starts off quite funny (JFK’s assassination re-enacted with pigeons will have you in stitches) before gradually turning more serious, as the plot comes together later in the film. Unfortunately one too many subplots, none of which are really crucial to the plot, tend to needlessly slow the pace of the film from time to time.
Consistently entertaining, visually arresting and with a clever script, The Salton Sea announced the arrival of D.J. Caruso as a major talent and a return to form for Val Kilmer. Criminally overlooked upon its initial release, this is certainly a film worth seeking out, particularly for fans of film noir.
