A handsomely stylish, semi-punk, drug-culture updating of the wronged-man's-revenge film noir plot, The Salton Sea stars Val Kilmer as a jazz musician who delves headlong into the world of methamphetamine "tweakers" to hunt down his wife's killers. The film opens impressively with Kilmer sitting on the floor of his burning apartment next to a bag full of money, playing his trumpet and bleeding--possibly to death--from a gunshot wound. But the flashback tale eventually gives way to a hackneyed Hollywood ending that nearly negates all the absorbing performances, interesting twists, and razor-sharp direction that's gone before. The fantastic cast of character actors includes Vincent D'Onofrio (drug dealer), Peter Sarsgaard (drug addict), Deborah Kara Unger (femme fatale), Adam Goldberg, Anthony LaPaglia, Luis Guzman, Doug Hutchison, B.D. Wong, and Danny Trejo. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a 10-minute "Embracing the Chaos" segment featuring interviews with the cast and director, an eight-minute "Meth and Method" featurette on production design, cast and crew text "highlights," and a theatrical trailer. Bottom line: a small extras package for a promising but ultimately disappointing film.] (R. Blackwelder)
The Salton Sea
Warner, 103 min., R, VHS: $22.98, DVD: $26.98, Sept. 10 Volume 17, Issue 5
The Salton Sea
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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