Red Rock West (1993)

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

John Dahl (written by) &
Rick Dahl (written by)

Release Date:

16 June 1993 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

...All Roads Lead To Intrigue.

Plot:

When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialise in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Texan | Money | Wyoming | Junk Food

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Michael Williams
Craig Reay	...	Jim
Vance Johnson	...	Mr. Johnson
Robert Apel	...	Howard
Bobby Joe McFadden	...	Old Man
J.T. Walsh	...	Wayne Brown / Kevin McCord
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Suzanne Brown / Ann McCord
Dale Gibson	...	Kurt, Suzanne's Boyfriend
Ted Parks	...	Chevron Cashier
Babs Bram	...	Hospital Receptionist
Robert Guajardo	...	Doctor
Sarah Sullivan	...	Nurse
Timothy Carhart	...	Deputy Matt Greytack
Dan Shor	...	Deputy Russ Bowman
Dennis Hopper	...	Lyle from Dallas

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Montana, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Dwight Yoakam brought his own pistol for his role as the Truck Driver.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Lyle shoots the window out of the car, the next shot shows the hammer of the automatic pistol down. Firing the weapon would have caused it to be cocked. Additionally, no cartridge shell was ejected; in reality, one would have hit the windshield on the inside of the car.

Quotes:

Lyle: You must be Suzanne. You look pretty enough to eat.

Movie Connections:

References Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Soundtrack:

1,000 MILES FROM NOWHERE

Hidden treasure, make time for it.

I came home late one night and turned on the TV, to see Siskel and Ebert summarizing their picks of the week. I didn't hear anything about "Red Rock West", except two thumbs up and see it before it went away. It wouldn't stay in theaters very long because of the distributor's money problems and lack of promotion, but they said it deserved better.

The next afternoon, I followed their advice. They were right, it was some of the most fun I have ever had at the movies. As some readers point out, there are a few plot holes and the last 10 minutes don't ever seem to end. But it's well worth it, for the fine craftwork that went into the first hour. It's the best role that I have ever seen for Nicholas Cage, but almost everybody seems perfectly cast. Dennis Hopper goes almost over the top, which gets silly but reinforces how well everything else works. The sets and the music contribute a great deal to almost every scene.

When I rented it later for my family, it didn't work as well. The long scenes that built the tension in the theater were difficult to appreciate, with the distractions at home. It deserves your full attention; turn off the phone, make sure you won't be disturbed, watch and listen to every scene, especially in the beginning.