Trouble in Mind: 25th Anniversary Special Edition

Alan Rudolph's futuristic 1985 neo-noir could be seen as Blade Runner's indie flip side, with its romantic drama of love and crime set in a colorful but grim urban dystopia. Kris Kristofferson is Hawk, an ex-cop with a murder rap (for delivering his own form of justice) and a cynical exterior that masks a soft-hearted soul, who steps out of prison and into a world of shabby shop-fronts and alleys (modernist touches are reserved for the better neighborhoods), where an ever-present militia patrols the streets. Hawk immediately turns gruff knight as protector of a young mother named Georgia (Lori Singer), whose once devoted husband, Coop (Keith Carradine), has become a criminal punk. Geneviève Bujold watches over all as Wanda, the tough but maternal mother hen running a waterfront diner. Something of a follow-up to Rudolph's smooth, stylish Choose Me (which also featured Bujold and Carradine, but in very different roles), this retro genre flick wasn't as popular as its predecessor, but its reputation has grown in the decades since, as the director's skewed sense of humor and penchant for playing with film noir conventions have come back into style. DVD extras include a new “making-of” documentary, and an interview with Rudolph and composer Mark Isham. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)