"The Hi-Lo Country" was pretty bad, I would not recommend it. I won't go into too much detail here, now 23 years later, but suffice to say that nothing works here: the plot, the acting, the music, the directing are all bad. A big disappointment, I had hoped that this was a hidden gem, but no it is a rightfully forgotten film. It was almost painful to watch in parts, seeing the dull expressionless actors (especially Arquette and Crudup) drone on throughout the film. This seemed to be at the start of that trend -- of films featuring dull wooden acting, posing as deep and wrought, but really just vapid and pretentious (e.g. See "Napoleon Dynamite" and "No Country for Old Men").
I will also start paying more attention to the directors and producers of films as there are some which I just don't care for and that I feel are overrated such as: Otto Preminger, Brian de Palma, and Martin Scorsese. Lesson learned. My rating for this film: 3/10. And "The Hi-Lo Country" is now chiefly remembered as being one of Penelope Cruz's first Hollywood films. She is good here as she always is, but it's just a supporting role. And Katy Jurado is wasted in a small cameo. It's a shame that this film wasn't better because it could have been great given the right script, discipline, and direction.
I will also start paying more attention to the directors and producers of films as there are some which I just don't care for and that I feel are overrated such as: Otto Preminger, Brian de Palma, and Martin Scorsese. Lesson learned. My rating for this film: 3/10. And "The Hi-Lo Country" is now chiefly remembered as being one of Penelope Cruz's first Hollywood films. She is good here as she always is, but it's just a supporting role. And Katy Jurado is wasted in a small cameo. It's a shame that this film wasn't better because it could have been great given the right script, discipline, and direction.