Red Rock West (1993)

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

John Dahl (written by) &
Rick Dahl (written by)

Release Date:

16 June 1993 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

...All Roads Lead To Intrigue.

Plot:

When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialise in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Texan | Money | Wyoming | Ex Marine

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Michael Williams
Craig Reay	...	Jim
Vance Johnson	...	Mr. Johnson
Robert Apel	...	Howard
Bobby Joe McFadden	...	Old Man
J.T. Walsh	...	Wayne Brown / Kevin McCord
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Suzanne Brown / Ann McCord
Dale Gibson	...	Kurt, Suzanne's Boyfriend
Ted Parks	...	Chevron Cashier
Babs Bram	...	Hospital Receptionist
Robert Guajardo	...	Doctor
Sarah Sullivan	...	Nurse
Timothy Carhart	...	Deputy Matt Greytack
Dan Shor	...	Deputy Russ Bowman
Dennis Hopper	...	Lyle from Dallas

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Montana, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

When the movie was previewed for audiences, none of the producers showed up.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Red Rock, Wyoming, is supposedly 50 miles east of Medicine Bow. Near the end of the film, a deputy announces that he's 'called for backup from Laramie and Rawlins.' Within moments (even allowing for movie time), several police cars show up to chase down 'the man from Texas.' Given Red Rock's supposed location, it would be around 80 miles from Laramie and over 100 miles from Rawlins. So how did those cops get there that fast?

Quotes:

Lyle: You must be Suzanne. You look pretty enough to eat.

Movie Connections:

Featured in I Want You (1998/I)

Soundtrack:

REDNECK GIRL

A Thousand Miles From Nowhere

Vaguely reminiscent of great 1940's westerns, like "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre" (1948), "Red Rock West" is a story about conscience, greed, and betrayal. Michael (Nicolas Cage) is a down and out, but honest, young man from Texas who goes west in search of work and money. He finds both, but not in the way he had expected.

The film's screenplay contains plenty of surprises and plot twists. Excellent cinematography, adroit film editing, and moody western music add tension and suspense. The expansiveness of the big sky country provides a wonderful setting. And the acting ranges from good to excellent, with great performances from Dennis Hopper and J.T. Walsh. Dwight Yoakam's specially recorded country/western song provides the film with a strong finale.

Correctly labeled as neo-noir, "Red Rock West" strikes me as being something else, as well. The plot is full of amazing coincidences and improbable timing, so much so that others may regard the screenplay as flawed. Ordinarily, I would agree. In this case, however, when combined with the moody atmosphere, and the fact that the small town of Red Rock seems almost empty of normal daily life, the coincidences and unlikely timing suggest a story that, beyond "noirish", is ... surreal. It's almost as if fate deliberately intervenes with improbable events so as to force Michael to come to grips with himself. From this point of view, the coincidences are not script flaws at all. They are necessary plot points in a nightmarish story of a young man who must confront his own demons ... disguised as other characters.

All we need here is Rod Serling, in a postscript, explaining, in his always clearly enunciated voice, that ... a young man, searching for himself, stops in a small, almost deserted town a thousand miles from nowhere. It's his final layover in a journey to ... the twilight zone.