Slow Burn

"Lust. Greed. Betrayal." Don't believe the video box: this tepid South-of-the-Border tale would likely never have been made if it weren't for the backing of star Minnie Driver and her sister Kate's production company, Two Drivers. Minnie, Josh Brolin, Stuart Wilson and James Spader (the latter sporting an [1] unnecessary, [2] inconsistent and [3] drama-defeating accent) topline this Mexican desert-locked tale about a woman obsessed with recovering her ancestors' lost treasure of diamonds, and the cat-and-mouse game she ends up playing with the two escaped convicts who stumble upon the goods first. Slow Burn does get off to an intriguing start, and there is a nice little kicker in the end, but the sprawling middle is as dry as the film's locale. The four admittedly talented leads give capable performances, but scripter/director Christian Ford and co-writer Roger Soffer give them little to play with. Not recommended. (S. C. Sickles)