Director: Kikuo Kawasaki
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Marley Shelton, Talia Shire, Devon Gummersall
Running Time: 99 minutes
Synopsis: In Phoenix, newspaper reporter Elden (Devon Gummersall) is assigned to cover the trial of Elsie (Marley Shelton), who is accused of murder. Flashbacks to Elden's high school days reveal his crush on the alluring Elsie. But she is more interested in Rick Chambers (Dennis Hopper), an older businessman married to the wealthy Martha (Talia Shire), who suffers from a weak heart. Rick and Martha would both like to get rid of each other, inspiring Elsie to hatch a self-serving plan.
What Works Well: The first half generates some small-town intrigue as diner server Elsie (looking for a ticket out of town), businessman Rick (looking for wealth), and his wife Martha (looking for respect) reveal self-serving agendas and plot against each other.
What Does Not Work As Well: This is a low-budget attempted neo-noir with rudimentary production values, but spiced with a few steamy sex scenes. The narration is cringey, the acting wooden, plot ambitions are undermined by shortcuts, and key pivot points like Martha's heart condition and Elden' bizarre affliction (arousal + alcohol = fainting) are loudly pre-announced. All in a matter of a sentence, one key character gets married to a hitherto unintroduced partner, another character is imprisoned, and a murder accusation makes its way to trial except that it's debatable whether a murder ever actually took place.
Key Quote:
Rick (to Elsie): You just want to get away from it all.
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