U-Turn Review
by James Berardinelli (berardin AT cybernex DOT net)October 3rd, 1997
U-TURN
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5
Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 10/3/97 (wide)
Running Length: 2:07
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity, sexual situations) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe,
Claire Danes, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Voight Director: Oliver Stone
Producers: Dan Halsted, Clayton Townsend
Screenplay: John Ridley based on his book STRAY DOGS Cinematography: Robert Richardson
Music: Ennio Morricone
U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Oliver Stone is perhaps best known for his numerous politically- influenced motion pictures -- everything from his Vietnam Trilogy to JFK and NIXON. Of course, Stone has also ventured into other motion picture arenas: the world of corrupt, high-pressure financial wheeling and dealing in WALL STREET, a biopic of the legendary rock and roller, Jim Morrison, in THE DOORS, and a satire of our culture's obsession with violence in NATURAL BORN KILLERS. Now, with his latest audacious outing, Stone has set his sights on a genre film. The result, called U- TURN, is film noir steeped in excess. Yet, although Stone has clearly made this motion picture with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, he nevertheless manages to capture all of the tension and mystery necessary to hold the viewer's interest. Hence, while Stone may be poking a little good-natured fun at the genre, he has also created a highly- successful entry to it.
With U-TURN, Stone made his first foray into this field by operating on a relatively low budget ($20 million) and sticking to a short shooting schedule (42 days). But, although much was different about the way the movie was put together, it still bears many hallmarks of recent Stone productions. The excesses of the photographic style hearken back to NATURAL BORN KILLERS and include black & white inserts, numerous hand-held shots, overexposed sequences, hallucinogenic effects, and time-lapses. I'm not a big fan of this sort of camera trickery, since it seems designed more to show off a director's pretentiousness than to add anything significant to the motion picture. This approach helped sink NATURAL BORN KILLERS; fortunately, it's only occasionally distracting here.
The narrative twists and turns in a serpentine fashion, rarely proceeding in a predictable or straightforward manner for more than a few minutes at a time (hence, the title). Film noir aficionados will recognize and/or expect many of the plot's contortions, since there are various requirements that have to be met by any entry of the genre. However, anticipating certain occurrences doesn't necessarily diminish our enjoyment, and the film takes so many detours that at least one or two of them are bound to surprise even the most jaded movie-goer.
Film noir is always more plot-conscious than character-focused, and this is pretty much the case here. Stone and writer John Ridley have populated U-TURN with a variety of colorful types, only a few of whom show the beginnings of multi-dimensionality. The best-developed individual is, not surprisingly, the lead. Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn) is passing through the small town of Superior, Arizona on his way to Las Vegas to pay off a gambling debt. Bobby has already lost two fingers to the Russian mob, and he wants to avoid having to give up any more. Unfortunately, the radiator hose of his classic 1964 1/2 Mustang chooses this moment to give out. Bobby gets the car to the only garage in the area, leaves it with the mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton) to fix, then wanders impatiently around town.
The denizens of Superior are a strange lot. There's a blind man (Jon Voight, almost unrecognizable beneath all the makeup) who doles out nuggets of wisdom, a flirtatious tease (Claire Danes) who enjoys making her boyfriend jealous, a local bully with the nickname of TNT (Joaquin Phoenix) who's spoiling for a fight, and a sheriff (Powers Boothe) who's hardly ever without a bottle in his hand. But the most bizarre citizens of the small, backwards town are Grace McKenna (Jennifer Lopez) and her grizzled husband, Jake (Nick Nolte), who lure the unsuspecting Bobby into a web of sex, vengeance, and murder.
Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez are terrific, whether together or apart. Penn, one of his generation's best actors, makes Bobby into more than just a moody loner. The intensity of his performance brings the increasing desperation of the situation home to us. Meanwhile, the sultry Lopez plays up the ambiguities of her character, so we're never quite sure whether she's a good girl, a bad girl, or something in between. Rounding out the cast are recognizable names and faces like Nick Nolte, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Voight, and Claire Danes, all of whom provide solid support.
Many viewers will recognize echoes of RED ROCK WEST in U-TURN. The similarities are hard to ignore: an unwilling hitman trapped within the confines of a small Western town playing a pawn in the life-or-death struggles of a femme fatale and a wealthy man. But, as fun and frantic as RED ROCK WEST was, U-TURN tops it, adding 30 minutes of running time and doubling the number of plot twists. Plus, Stone's lurid, graphic, in-your-face style is far different from John Dahl's homage to '40s and '50s movies. U-TURN is definitely not for everyone -- some viewers will find the juxtaposition of offbeat comedy and noir cliches too strange and others will be offended by the film's extreme violence. Nevertheless, for those who enjoy movies on the edge, U-TURN offers just the trajectory you might expect.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli
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