cult film freak: THE HOT SPOT

Written by James M. Tate / 6/29/2011 / No comments / crime , dennis hopper , neo noir , nineties

THE HOT SPOT

6/29/2011 | No comment

title: THE HOT SPOT
year: 1990
cast: Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly, Jack Nance
rating: ***1/2

Night and shadows, the staple of Film Noir, is replaced with sun and sweat. And there's a whole lot of both here, and some fire for good measure. Don Johnson does a nice job in the quiet handsome stranger in a strange land role. He plays a subtle criminal, ultimately the pawn, who goes to a small town to stake out a bank. To remain inconspicuous, he gets a job in a car lot, meets his boss's snaky wife, played by Virginia Madsen, and reluctantly falls into her web.

He'd rather be with the young, seemingly-innocent secretary played by Jennifer Connelly, enveloped in a rapturously chaste sexuality. But Madsen wants Don for herself... and will do anything to keep him. The deliberately slow pace is involving, although the final twist, as some people aren’t as innocent as they seem, isn’t very satisfying. But director Dennis Hopper keeps the melodrama sizzling throughout, and of all the players, Madsen stands out as the bored moll with a one-track mind for trouble.

Share This Post :

Tags : crime , dennis hopper , neo noir , nineties

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)THE FEARMAKERS 2)JAWS 3)THE CROWDED SKY 4)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 5)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 6)ASH WEDNESDAY 7)SHARKS' TREASURE 8)CANYON PASSAGE 9)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 10)HOT CARS 11)CURSE OF THE DEMON 12)HARDCORE 13)VIOLENT SATURDAY 14)ROYAL FLASH 15)DUEL IN THE JUNGLE 16)SWEENEY TWO 17)THE PARTY 18)THE ROARING TWENTIES 19)AIR PATROL 20)THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN 21)THE SERGEANT 22)OTLEY 23)AL CAPONE 24)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 25)FALLEN ANGEL 26)THE DEFECTOR 27)COMPULSION 28)RIDE THE PINK HORSE 29)EASY LIVING 30)WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS 31)ATLANTIC CITY 32)JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG 33)CANYON RIVER 34)MADISON AVENUE 35)THE SHARKFIGHTERS 36)DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS 37)QUANTRILL'S RAIDERS 38)KILLER FISH 39)THUNDER ISLAND 40)THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND

ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)MARLON BRANDO 4)JACK NICHOLSON 5)ORSON WELLES 6)PETER O'TOOLE 7)TOM COURTENAY 8)CHARLES BRONSON 9)GENE HACKMAN 10)VICTOR MATURE ACTRESSES 1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN CARPENTER 7)MAURY DEXTER 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)MICHAEL WINNER 10)SAM PECKINPAH