Keys To Tulsa

Blackmail with a Southern twist. Eric Stoltz stars as Richter Boudreau, a privileged black sheep who becomes enmeshed in a lusty tale blending colorful small city shenanigans with dangerous big city hijinx. Caught in a potentially-deadly blackmail scheme and pitted between friends, lovers, and loyalties, Richter is forced to face his past and reconcile his future. The film is flecked with humor and, for the most part, delivers solid dramatic performances, each character perfecting some form of the Southern drawl. Mary Tyler Moore gives an overbaked performance as Richter's shrewish heiress mother, but James Spader's Elvisesque drug-dealing personae is darkly charismatic and Deborah Unger, Richter's longtime love interest, is a mesmerizing on-screen beauty. Keys to Tulsa is an engaging, but not quite riveting, '90s drama full of Southern flavor. An optional purchase. (A. Glover)