CrimeDramaMysteryThriller

The Salton Sea

- If you're looking for the truth, you've come to the wrong place.

After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn", becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.

Release Date : 2002-02-12

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Humble Journey FilmsCastle Rock EntertainmentDarkwoods Productions

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : The Salton Sea

Cast

Character Name : Tom Van Allen | Danny Parker

Original Name : Val Kilmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pooh-Bear

Original Name : Vincent D'Onofrio

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kujo

Original Name : Adam Goldberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Quincy

Original Name : Luis Guzmán

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gus Morgan

Original Name : Doug Hutchison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Al Garcetti

Original Name : Anthony LaPaglia

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bobby

Original Name : Glenn Plummer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jimmy the Finn

Original Name : Peter Sarsgaard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colette

Original Name : Deborah Kara Unger

Gender : Female

Character Name : Liz

Original Name : Chandra West

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bubba

Original Name : BD Wong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Verne Plummer

Original Name : R. Lee Ermey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nancy

Original Name : Shalom Harlow

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nancy Plummer

Original Name : Shirley Knight

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bo

Original Name : Meat Loaf

Gender : Male

Character Name : Little Bill

Original Name : Danny Trejo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Teresa

Original Name : Azura Skye

Gender : Female

Character Name : Detective Bookman

Original Name : Rex Linn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big Bill

Original Name : Josh Todd

Gender : Male

Character Name : Creeper

Original Name : Ricky Trammell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kamikaze Pilot

Original Name : Kenji Nakamura

Gender : Male

Character Name : 50's Housewife

Original Name : Paula Scarpino

Gender : Female

Character Name : 60's Trucker

Original Name : Mike Randleman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Supermarket Cashier

Original Name : Justine Visone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Zapruder

Original Name : Charles Carroll

Gender : Male

Character Name : Oswald

Original Name : Lee Holmes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Freak Cook

Original Name : Jerry Gauny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bobby's Daughter

Original Name : Tanner Giles

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bobby's Girlfriend

Original Name : Rachel Ezra

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kid Selling Guns

Original Name : Mpho Koaho

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bar Owner

Original Name : Chuck Kuespert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Third Shooter

Original Name : Val Lauren

Gender : Male

Character Name : Karaoke Man

Original Name : Tom Fitzpatrick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stool Sample Courier

Original Name : Christian J. Fletcher

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Agent

Original Name : Rene Rivera

Gender : Male

Character Name : Skipper

Original Name : Doc Duhame

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

My name is Tom Van Allen. I'm a trumpet player. The Salton Sea is directed by D. J. Caruso and written by Tony Gayton. It stars Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgard, Doug Hutchinson, Anthony LaPaglia, Debora Kara Unger, Adam Goldberg and Luis Guzmán. Music is scored by Thomas Newman and cinematography by Amir Mokri. Danny Parker (Kilmer) is hanging out with a bunch of methamphetamine users, apparently in an effort to numb the pain of his one time life that saw his wife murdered. Or is he? The word of mouth for it was strong, but no sooner did it hit cinemas than it disappeared off the face of the earth. However, the cult cinema world is often a vibrant place to lurk, enter there and you find The Salton Sea, a wonderfully tricksy and off beat neo-noir awash with misery, revenge, redemption and odd ball characters that are either stuck in purgatory, or heading to nowhereville. Protagonist Danny Parker leads the film, a man whose identity is fractured after being dealt a blow from the hands of fate, very much in limbo mentally, he none the less has goals to achieve, nothing is never quite as it seems until director Caruso wants us in on the side-shifts. Danny is often in the company of danger and weird characters, from a hopped up harpoon wielding loon, to a no nose psycho (too much meth up the nose will make you lose it kids), via dirty cops and meth heads, it's a world of unease, the twisty plot drawing the viewer in with a kinky smile on its face. Caruso also pulls off the neat trick of placing humour in this off kilter world without hurting the dramatic harshness of the thematics. There's a quite brilliant sequence that shows a botched crime being attempted by the meth head crew, this we watch at the same time as they discuss about actually pulling the crime off. That it involves a stool sample from Bob Hope should tell you all you need to know about the intelligence of the wannabe perps! Caruso's camera is fluid and he uses certain neo-noir visual tricks of the trade as well (time lapses etc), and he also has a knack for varying the mood without averting the slowly bubbling to the surface pace that the story requires. Kilmer is superb, perfectly low-key, there is no need for rage, the yearning for revenge and redemption, for identity, is brought out via calmly delivered dialect, and it's very affecting. D'Onofrio as Pooh Bear, the afore mentioned no nose fella, steals the movie with another of his off the planet nut-jobs. Elsewhere, Sarsgard is as appealing as he has ever been as Danny's stoner best mate, Hutchinson and LaPaglia cut fine figures as dirty cops, while Guzmán and Danny Trejo leave an impressively grungy mark. The only disappointment is the lack of screen time for Kara Unger, a fine actress, she is playing what turns out to be a critical femme fatale role, but really we needed more of her. It's a rare misstep in an otherwise cracking neo-noir that is highly recommended to fans of similarly devilishly fun pictures. 8.5/10