The Salton Sea (2002) Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Goldberg, Luis Guzmán, Doug Hutchison Movie Review

The Salton Sea (2002)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Val Kilmer in The Salton Sea (2002)

Kilmer's Haze

Danny Parker (Val Kilmer) lives with drug dealing slackers in a permanent closed window haze, hiding away from bright lights. But Danny didn't always live like this, he used to be a musician with an attractive wife who was brutally murdered leading to Danny going undercover for the cops as an informant to catch the killer of his wife. But things don't go to plan and not only does Danny having to worry about his own life when the cops cut him free he also finds himself trying to help the woman who lives next door who is battered and bruised.

Drugs have never been my thing. I make that statement because when I started "The Salton Sea" and we witness the lifestyle of Danny and his friends as they live life in a drug dazed haze it did little for me and I expected to sit through another 100 minutes of nonsense. But I stuck with it and bit by bit this movie won me over with this story which slowly reveals what is really going on. Now I am not going to tell you what is going on because when the pieces fall in to place have twisted and turned you a couple of times you end up with a smile on your face.

But that leaves me with a dilemma because what do I say if I am not going to tell you what happens. Well one thing I will say is that this has to be one of the best Val Kilmer performances going. It is not that he does anything spectacular but he nails the look and the mannerisms to make Danny interesting. The more attention grabbing performances come from the rest of the cast especially Vincent D'Onofrio who has fun with an over the top character. There is also an angry badger which steals a scene in such a way that it is actually comically terrifying.

What this all boils down to is that "The Salton Sea" is frankly an intriguing movie but one which grows in to an entertaining one. But as such I have to say it is the sort of movie you have to take a leap of faith with and just watch because a big part of what makes it entertaining is in the way it reveals itself to you.


LATEST REVIEWS