tracylong-09623
The salton sea is a strange film. Not that good to be considered a cult but not that bad to be completely obscure as the film is today. Val Kilmer plays a trumpeter/ drug mule in this atmospheric film which involves most of the tropes one associates with drug movies- bad cops, revenge, murder of family. It is well lit and the screenplay is pretty alright but the film doesn't turn into a Tarantinoesque material one can relish. Something tells me this would have been a better TV movie. Still, worth a watch, especially if you like Val Kilmer who is quite good here.
Alan Smithee Esq.
There are many 'man looks for wife's killer' movies, lots of them. This is an exceptional one. A strong. deep and engrossing mystery. This one will keep you hooked with eccentric characters and a fantastic plot. The plot circles around drugs but doesn't glorify them nor does it judge those that indulge. Val Kilmer gives an amazing performance as a tortured soul of man who seemingly lost his life and his identity when he lost his wife.
Leofwine_draca
THE SALTON SEA is another drug-fuelled drama that explores the negative and devastating effects that drugs have on users, dealers, and the local community. I'm not really a fun of these types of drug-binge movies a la FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS so I wasn't really expecting much from this movie.I didn't get it. Unfortunately, THE SALTON SEA is more about drug use than it is about the law enforcement of the situation, even though there are a couple of DEA officers in it. Instead what we get is a permanently-stoned Val Kilmer wandering his way through a world of violence, degradation, and humiliation, interacting with various unpleasant characters.The characters are the best thing in this production. Vincent D'Onofrio's drug pusher is memorable thanks to his appearance alone. Doug Hutchison (THE GREEN MILE) is ever-creepy in support, even though he's playing one of the 'good' guys. There are cameos for R. Lee Ermey, Meat Loaf, and BD Wong. But the film lacks the right kind of substance, and feels plot less and meandering all the way through. I didn't care for it at all.
Treyroo
Have you ever thought about being someone else? Just leaving behind everything you know and diving headfirst into a new name with new friends and new interests? Would that really erase who you were before? The story begins with several drug users in the midst of a binge. The narrator, "Danny Parker" (played by Val Kilmer) is also the main character. The drug that he and his companions are and have been consuming for several days is methamphetamine. "Danny" (Kilmer) then gives a brief editorial describing the history of methamphetamine, from its initial invention to the changing profile of the user over the years from kamikaze pilots to housewives to truck drivers and motorcycle gangs. We are then returned to the drug den where one of the users, known as Cujo (played by Adam Goldberg) screams to the entire room that their supply has run out. "Danny" and another addict "Jimmy the Finn" (played by Peter Sarsgaard) leave to buy more from a user and dealer that Jimmy is acquainted with. After "Danny" has returned with the drugs and the binge runs its course, he informs on the dealer to officers Gus Morgan (played by Doug Hutchison) and Al Garcetti (played by Anthony LaPaglia). His dealings with law enforcement are a secret he keeps from his fellow users. Once he's alone and in his own apartment, however, we are shown yet another secret which is kept not only from those he injects methamphetamine with, but also the police he informs to. He sheds his jewelry, washes out the Mohawk he regularly sports, and then states to the empty room that his name is Tom Van Allen and that he's a trumpet player.This is an amazing movie. Kilmer manages to perfectly portray a loving husband and trumpet player and then seamlessly transform into a derelict drug abuser. LaPaglia and Hutchison, as characters whose true nature and motives are not known at first, put forth performances that are almost as compelling, if not equally so. Deborah Kara Unger as the one character that Kilmer bears his soul to brings an entirely different dimension and resolution to the story. By this point, it should be obvious that this film isn't for everyone. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it.
AD
