I have an acquaintance on the Internet who is a die-hard fan of Val Kilmer. As a result of his praise for Kilmer, I have seen something like half a dozen Kilmer movies in the past few months. They have ranged from middling (Spartan) to good (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and have actually proved that Kilmer is a fairly underrated actor. One particular Kilmer movie that has stayed with me since I've seen it is The Salton Sea, enough that I've bothered to watch it a second time and even buy the DVD.
The Salton Sea stars Kilmer as Danny, a heavily tattooed punk and "tweaker" (the movie's nickname for a meth addict). He divides his time between hanging out with fellow addicts and ratting out crazed drug dealers to a pair of cops (Anthony laPaglia and Doug Hutchison). When he comes home at night, he changes into an old suit, plays sad music on a trumpet and calls himself Tom. Exactly why he does this is revealed in a series of flashbacks that I won't spoil here, but they paint a clearer picture of just what kind of person Danny/Tom really is.
At first, it's easy to assume from the first 15 or 20 minutes that The Salton Sea is going to be a movie about drug culture, in the vein (pun unintended) of movies like Trainspotting or Requiem for a Dream. The Salton Sea does share many stylistic similarities with such drug movies the story is told in a very episodic manner, uses a starkly colourful visual style and utilises many flourishes with both camera-work and editing. The style is toned down slightly from the much more in-your-face manner shown in Requiem for a Dream. I find this actually a plus in the case of The Salton Sea, because the muted "drug-chic" look of the film doesn't distract you from the film's real plot.
What The Salton Sea does differently to other drug movies is subtly weave a thriller plot into the midst of its portrayal of meth addicts. The plot revolving around revenge, murder and double-crosses doesn't take centre-stage until the final third of the film, when Tom's true motives for becoming Danny finally come to light. The twist that signals the beginning of the end is a fairly unpredictable one. When you actually come to the realisation that there is a twist, it seems all the stranger because it belongs to a plot that is not immediately obvious on a first viewing. Even on repeat viewings, you find it hard to see coming due to the subtlety of the plot that the twist relates to.
Which is all fine and dandy but how does the film as a whole stand up? Pretty well. As Danny, Kilmer is an eloquent and softly spoken voice of reason amidst a veritable circus of bizarre supporting characters; the most memorable being Vincent D'Onofrio as "Pooh Bear", a hillbilly drug dealer with no nose and a penchant for blackly comic acts of violence. The plot, although not particularly obvious or even too original, is a solid one and isn't overshadowed by the film's look. The Salton Sea manages to be a decent enough movie, borrowing from the Column A of drug movies and the Column B of neo-noir without ever leaving the feeling that it tries too hard.
The Salton Sea stars Kilmer as Danny, a heavily tattooed punk and "tweaker" (the movie's nickname for a meth addict). He divides his time between hanging out with fellow addicts and ratting out crazed drug dealers to a pair of cops (Anthony laPaglia and Doug Hutchison). When he comes home at night, he changes into an old suit, plays sad music on a trumpet and calls himself Tom. Exactly why he does this is revealed in a series of flashbacks that I won't spoil here, but they paint a clearer picture of just what kind of person Danny/Tom really is.
At first, it's easy to assume from the first 15 or 20 minutes that The Salton Sea is going to be a movie about drug culture, in the vein (pun unintended) of movies like Trainspotting or Requiem for a Dream. The Salton Sea does share many stylistic similarities with such drug movies the story is told in a very episodic manner, uses a starkly colourful visual style and utilises many flourishes with both camera-work and editing. The style is toned down slightly from the much more in-your-face manner shown in Requiem for a Dream. I find this actually a plus in the case of The Salton Sea, because the muted "drug-chic" look of the film doesn't distract you from the film's real plot.
What The Salton Sea does differently to other drug movies is subtly weave a thriller plot into the midst of its portrayal of meth addicts. The plot revolving around revenge, murder and double-crosses doesn't take centre-stage until the final third of the film, when Tom's true motives for becoming Danny finally come to light. The twist that signals the beginning of the end is a fairly unpredictable one. When you actually come to the realisation that there is a twist, it seems all the stranger because it belongs to a plot that is not immediately obvious on a first viewing. Even on repeat viewings, you find it hard to see coming due to the subtlety of the plot that the twist relates to.
Which is all fine and dandy but how does the film as a whole stand up? Pretty well. As Danny, Kilmer is an eloquent and softly spoken voice of reason amidst a veritable circus of bizarre supporting characters; the most memorable being Vincent D'Onofrio as "Pooh Bear", a hillbilly drug dealer with no nose and a penchant for blackly comic acts of violence. The plot, although not particularly obvious or even too original, is a solid one and isn't overshadowed by the film's look. The Salton Sea manages to be a decent enough movie, borrowing from the Column A of drug movies and the Column B of neo-noir without ever leaving the feeling that it tries too hard.