The Salton Sea (2002)

Director:

D.J. Caruso

Writer (WGA):

Tony Gayton (written by)

Release Date:

21 June 2002 (Ireland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If You're Looking For The Truth, You've Come To The Wrong Place.

Plot:

After his wife is murdered, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Neighbor | Undercover | Punk Haircut | Police Officer Killed

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Val Kilmer	...	Danny Parker / Tom Van Allen
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Pooh-Bear
Adam Goldberg	...	Kujo
Luis Guzmán	...	Quincy
Doug Hutchison	...	Gus Morgan
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Al Garcetti
Glenn Plummer	...	Bobby
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Jimmy the Finn
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Colette
Chandra West	...	Liz
BD Wong	...	Bubba
R. Lee Ermey	...	Verne Plummer
Shalom Harlow	...	Nancy
Shirley Knight	...	Nancy Plummer
Meat Loaf	...	Bo
Azura Skye	...	Teresa
Josh Todd	...	Big Bill
Danny Trejo	...	Little Bill
Ricky Trammell	...	Creeper
Kenji Nakamura	...	Kamikaze Pilot
Paula Scarpino	...	50's Housewife
Mike Randleman	...	60's Trucker
Justine Visone	...	Supermarket Cashier
Jerry Gauny	...	Freak Cook
Tanner Giles	...	Bobby's Daughter
Rachel Ezra	...	Bobby's Girlfriend
Mpho Koaho	...	Kid Selling Guns
Chuck Kuespert	...	Bar Owner
Charles Carroll	...	Zapruder
Lee Holmes	...	Oswald
Val Lauren	...	Third Shooter
Tom Fitzpatrick	...	Karaoke Man
Christian J. Fletcher	...	Stool Sample Courier (as Christian Fletcher)
Bob Brown	...	Man in Salton Sea House
Dana Lynn Caruso	...	Female FBI Agent
Rene Rivera	...	FBI Agent One
Kevin Quinn	...	FBI Agent Two
Rex Linn	...	Detective Bookman
Al Barker Jr.	...	FBI Agent Repairing Motel Sign
Doc Duhame	...	Skipper

Directed by
D.J. Caruso

Writing credits (WGA)
Tony Gayton		(written by)

Produced by
Ken Aguado	....	producer
Jim Behnke	....	executive producer
Frank Darabont	....	producer
Eriq La Salle	....	producer
Butch Robinson	....	producer

Original Music by
Thomas Newman

Cinematography by
Amir Mokri		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jim Page

Casting by
Deborah Aquila

Production Design by
Tom Southwell

Art Direction by
Douglas Cumming

Set Decoration by
Amanda Moss Serino

Costume Design by
Karyn Wagner

Makeup Department
Bill Corso	....	makeup department head
Paul Engelen	....	makeup artist: Val Kilmer
Norma Lee	....	hair stylist
Patricia Miller	....	key hair stylist (as Patty Miller)
Ashlee Petersen	....	key makeup artist
Michael White	....	hair stylist: Val Kilmer
Ken Diaz	....	tattoo designer: val kilmer (uncredited)
James Ryder	....	special makeup effects artist: Vincent D'Onofrio (uncredited)
Alan Tuskes	....	key special makeup effects studio technician (uncredited)

Production Management
Jim Behnke	....	production manager
Christy Dimmig	....	post-production supervisor
Alison Harstedt	....	production supervisor
Barbara Russo	....	post-production executive (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Adler	....	first assistant director
David Hallinan	....	second assistant director (as Dave Hallinan)
Maria Mantia	....	second second assistant director
Ruby Stillwater	....	additional second assistant director
Ruby Stillwater	....	dga trainee
Nicholas Wolfert	....	second assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Yaniv Bashan	....	set dresser
Pedro Benitez III	....	laborer
Steve Borgese	....	greens foreman
Nelson Bush	....	set dresser (as Nelson Lee Bush)
Larry Guy Clause	....	construction general foreman (as Larry Clause)
Dan Craney	....	laborer
Randy Culberhouse	....	propmaker
Thomas Culberhouse	....	propmaker (as Tom Culberhouse)
William Davidson	....	propmaker
Mike De Luca	....	hod carrier (as Mike DeLuca)
Brad Dean	....	propmaker
James Diggs	....	painter (as James N. Diggs)
John Dorrien	....	painter
John R. Elliott	....	construction coordinator
Robert Brian Elliott	....	propmaker
Jim Falkenstein	....	assistant property master (as Jim 'Steve' Falkenstein)
David Fanderlik	....	propmaker foreman
Doug Gagan	....	propmaker
Justin Garcia	....	propmaker (as Justino Garcia)
Kenneth Garrett	....	sculptor
Carmine Goglia	....	stand-by painter
Tim Gomes	....	paint foreman
Tony Gomes	....	painter
Otniel Gonzalez	....	on-set dresser
Baha Halaby	....	laborer
Amber Haley	....	set dresser (as Amber Elkins)
Jay Hawbecker	....	signwriter
Richard Heil	....	propmaker (as Rick Heil)
Henry Humphreys	....	construction medic
Lee J. Jashinsky	....	painter
Kent Johnson	....	art department coordinator
Russ Jones	....	paintings and illustrations
Chris Jordan	....	propmaker
Tom Jung	....	storyboard artist
Lisa M. Kittredge	....	construction auditor (as Lisa M. Brooks)
William J. Magill	....	propmaker
Mark A. Mancinelli	....	plaster foreman
Mike Medina	....	tool man (as Michael Medina)
Michael Molen	....	propmaker
Frank Musitelle	....	greensman
Greg Musselman	....	painter
Michael O'Donnell	....	set dresser
Lynda Reiss	....	property master
Bruce Richter	....	art special effects
Mark Rigby	....	propmaker
Dominic Sandfrey	....	labor foreman
Paul A. Scott	....	propmaker
Kimberly Spoerer	....	art department production assistant
Jeffrey D. Stevens	....	construction medic
Eric Sundahl	....	set designer
Vartan 'V.T.' Tashjian	....	set dresser (as Vartan Tashjian)
Brian Thoman	....	propmaker
Angela M. Whiting	....	assistant property master (as Angela Whiting)
Greg Wilkinson	....	leadman

Sound Department
Mary Andrews	....	dialogue editor
Petra Bach	....	dialogue editor
Ron Bartlett	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Boulton	....	adr mixer
Thom Brennan	....	foley editor
Eric Bretter	....	sound recordist
Michael J. Broomberg	....	foley artist (as Michael Broomberg)
Rick Canelli	....	adr recordist
Tim Cooney	....	production sound mixer
Howell Gibbens	....	supervising sound editor
Jessica Harrison	....	assistant sound editor
Elizabeth Kenton	....	supervising adr editor
Gregg Landaker	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Mary Jo Lang	....	foley recordist
Mark A. Mangini	....	sound effects designer (as Mark Mangini)
Steve Maslow	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Alyson Dee Moore	....	foley artist (as Alyson Moore)
James Morioka	....	assistant sound editor
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer (as Tom O'Connell)
Jeremy Peirson	....	sound recordist
Alex Raspa	....	adr recordist
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Bill Shotland	....	boom operator
George Simpson	....	sound effects editor
Mark Smith	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kevin Sorensen	....	sound utility
Carolyn Tapp	....	foley recordist
Elijah Schkeiban	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Howard Berger	....	supervisor: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Kamar Bitar	....	production manager: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Chris Brenczewski	....	special effects technician
James Camomile	....	special effects technician
George Deveau	....	special effects assistant
Jason Gustafson	....	special effects technician
James Hall	....	art department: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Steve Hartman	....	art department: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Chiz Hasegawa	....	coordinator: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Garrett Immel	....	sculptor: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Steven D. Jensen	....	special effects technician (as Steven Jensen)
Gregory Nicotero	....	supervisor: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc. (as Greg Nicotero)
Casey Pritchett	....	special effects technician (as William Casey Pritchett)
Corey Pritchett	....	special effects technician
Darrell Pritchett	....	special effect coordinator (as Darrell D. Pritchett)
Brian Rae	....	art department: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Mike Sasgen	....	special effects technician
Mark Tavares	....	sculptor: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Keith O. Wilson	....	special effects assistant
Sylvia Nold Wilson	....	special effects technician (as Sylvia Nold)
David Wogh	....	mechanics: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc.
Tamara Carlson	....	fabricator: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc. (uncredited)
Jason Collins	....	fabricator: special makeup & animatronic effects, K.N.B. EFX Group Inc. (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Lloyd Lee Barnett	....	digital compositor
Kelly Bechtle-Woods	....	3D tracking: R!OT Pictures
Kelly Bumbarger	....	digital compositor: R!OT Pictures
Dale Caughey	....	digital imaging engineer
Michael Degtjarewsky	....	senior Cineon compositor: R!OT Pictures
Tommy Dorsett	....	visual effects editor: R!OT Pictures
Joe Gareri	....	visual effects executive producer: R!OT Pictures
Brian Hanable	....	senior Inferno compositor: R!OT Pictures
Ken Lam	....	digital compositor: R!OT Pictures
Matt McFarland	....	visual effects color timer
Jaime Norman	....	digital coordinator: R!OT Pictures
Hans Payer	....	senior CG animator: R!OT Pictures
Patrick Phillips	....	senior Inferno compositor: R!OT Pictures
David Sosalla	....	visual effects supervisor: R!OT Pictures
Bob Wiatr	....	senior Inferno compositor: R!OT Pictures
Lauralee Wiseman	....	technical operations manager: R!OT Pictures

Stunts
Scottio Arnold	....	stunts (as Scott Arnold)
Ben Bray	....	stunts
Bob Brown	....	stunts
Kimberly Cossette	....	stunts
Doc Duhame	....	stunts
Christian J. Fletcher	....	stunts (as Christian Fletcher)
Lance Gilbert	....	stunts
Jack Gill	....	stunts
Norman Howell	....	stunts
Mike Justus	....	stunts
Henry Kingi	....	stunts
Kim Robert Koscki	....	stunts (as Kim Koscki)
Wayne Montanio	....	stunts
Anthony T. Pennello	....	stunts (as Tony Pennello)
Manny Perry	....	stunt coordinator
Danny Rogers	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts (as Thomas Rosales)
Gilbert Rosales	....	stunts
Mary Torres	....	stunts
Tim Trella	....	stunts
Danny Wynands	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Amorelli	....	rigging electrician
John Armstrong	....	generator operator
Mike J. Campbell Jr.	....	rigging grip (as Mike Campbell)
Greg Cantrell	....	rigging best boy electric (as Gregory N. Cantrell)
Philippe Carr-Forster	....	camera operator (as Phil Carr-Forster)
Steven D. Castaneda	....	lamp operator (as Steven David Castaneda)
Gregory Paul Collier	....	aerial assistant camera (as Greg Collier)
Scott Crabbe	....	video assist operator
Thomas Crawford	....	second company grip
Ralph Del Castillo	....	grip
Yusef Edmonds	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (as Yusef G. Edmonds)
Greg Fausak	....	grip (as Gregory Fausak)
Daniel C. Gold	....	camera operator
John Grillo	....	first assistant camera
Edward A. Gutentag	....	assistant camera
Kris Guthrie	....	rigging grip (as Chris Guthrie)
Chris Haarhoff	....	Steadicam operator
Paul Hamacher	....	grip
Robert Heine	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Robert J. Heine)
George A. Hock	....	rigging gaffer
Tom Jordan	....	second assistant camera
Jack Korbel	....	rigging grip (as Jack T. Korbel)
John W. Kristopik	....	lamp operator (as John Wesoly Kristopik)
Christopher J. Lama	....	rigging electrician
Brett Mabry	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Richard Mall	....	key grip
Marc Marino	....	lamp operator
John T. Martin	....	rigging key grip
John Joseph Minardi	....	grip
David O'Brien	....	camera loader
Pat O'Mara	....	rigging grip
David Pearlberg	....	dolly grip (as Dave Pearlberg)
Morten Petersen	....	set electrician
Blake Pike	....	key rigging grip
Max Pomerleau	....	chief lighting technician
Ron Santoyo	....	rigging grip
John Scalzo	....	rigging electrician
Alex Scott	....	camera intern
Gihan 'Sandy' Seneviratne	....	rigging electrician (as Gihan Seneviratne)
John Seravic	....	grip
Andrew Shulkind	....	camera intern
Tony Sommo	....	rigging best boy grip
Thomas Sugg	....	lamp operator (as Thomas M. Sugg)
John H. Taylor Jr.	....	lamp operator
Skyler Tegland	....	grip
Mark Vargo	....	additional photographer
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer
Joseph F. Warren	....	gaffer
John Wright	....	rigging electrician (as John D. Wright)

Casting Department
Ajay Dass	....	extras casting
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Kelly O'Brien	....	casting assistant
Sharon Ruth	....	extras casting
Tricia Wood	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alison Gail Bixby	....	costume supervisor
Brenda Donoho	....	costumer: Mr Kilmer
Ciara Duncan	....	costume production assistant
Brigit Jones	....	costumer
Philip Maldonado	....	set costumer
Heather Pain	....	costumer (as Heather R. Pain)
Dominick De Rasmo	....	costume painter (uncredited)
Sandra O'Toole	....	costume textile artist (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Vince Filippone	....	first assistant editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Dave Jackson	....	editorial intern
Gloria Kaiser	....	color timer
Jayson Meadows	....	post-production assistant
Robert Mendoza	....	apprentice editor
Mark Sachen	....	colorist
Patrick Thornhill	....	post-production assistant
Tracey Wadmore-Smith	....	first assistant editor
Grant Wilkinson	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
John Beasley	....	musician: piano, B3 organ and drum programming
Bill Bernstein	....	music editor
Bill Bernstein	....	musician: piano and electric guitar
Terence Blanchard	....	musician: trumpet solo
Julian Bratolyubov	....	music preparation
George Budd	....	musician: percussion
Jordan Corngold	....	music editor: temp
Rick Cox	....	musician: electric guitar
George Doering	....	musician: mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars
Arlene Fishbach	....	music clearances
Michael Fisher	....	musician: percussion
Joe Gaswirt	....	music mastering
Joel Iwataki	....	music scoring mixer
Steve Kujala	....	musician: flutes and layerd drones
Leslie Morris	....	music contractor
Thomas Newman	....	conductor
Thomas Newman	....	musician: piano
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator
Chas Smith	....	musician: percussion and steel metal guitar
Steve Tavaglione	....	musician: EWI and baritone saxophone
Michael Zainer	....	assistant music engineer

Transportation Department
Maxim Aperian	....	production driver
John Armstrong	....	production driver
Clay Bartholomew	....	production driver
Richard M. Brasic	....	production driver
Adrian Cannon	....	driver: Val Kilmer
Tony Greasley	....	production driver
Peter Hackett	....	picture car coordinator
Robert Hunter Jr.	....	transportation coordinator
Reid Kamitono	....	production driver
Don Levinski	....	production driver (as Donnie Levinski)
James Lowder	....	production driver (as James R. Lowder)
Charles Montgomery	....	production driver (as Chuck Montgomery)
Jeremy Morgan	....	production driver (as Jeremy C. Morgan)
Randy Peters	....	production driver
Ron Poniewaz Jr.	....	production driver (as Ron J. Poniewaz)
Ron Poniewaz	....	production driver
Robert Poto	....	production driver (as Robert Anthony Poto)
Scott W. Ramsey	....	production driver
Sandra Roach	....	transportation secretary
Brett Round	....	production driver (as Brett E. Round)
Marvin LaRoy Sanders	....	production driver (as Marvin Laroy Sanders)
Timothy Sheehan	....	production driver
Cesar Solis	....	production driver
Bret Stewart	....	production driver
Stanley Storc	....	production driver
Jerry T. Stroh	....	production driver (as Jerry Stroh)
Bobette Sweet	....	production driver (as Bobette Sweet-Shane)
John F. Teeple	....	driver
Val Thorgusen	....	production driver
Russ Tolliver	....	production driver
Wilbert Tolliver	....	production driver
David Urich	....	transportation captain
Steve D. Weinmuller	....	production driver
John Willoth	....	production driver
Rick Womelduff	....	production driver

Other crew
David Aaron	....	armorer
Roland Acevedo	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Investigator Roland Acevedo)
Michael Alexander	....	animal trainer (as Mike Alexander)
Joe Aranda	....	catering assistant
Ruth Auerbach	....	studio teacher
Marcus Ball	....	production assistant
Lori A. Balton	....	key location scout (as Lori Balton)
Alfred Barker	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Investigator Alfred Barker)
Ted Bayard	....	assistant location manager
Bob Berkus	....	location manager
Art Betanzos	....	advisor: narcotics
Roland Bleitz	....	armorer
Judith M. Brown	....	studio teacher
Steven Buhai	....	set production assistant
Kyle Cammack	....	police officer
Alison Cannon	....	production accountant
Rick Cearley	....	fire safety advisor (as Rick Cearley)
Elizabeth Chamberlain	....	animal trainer
Wally Cook	....	police officer
Chris Cortijo	....	police officer (as Christopher A. Cortijo)
John Cosola	....	fire safety advisor
Jason Cox	....	set production assistant (as Jason M. Cox)
Carl D'Amico	....	fire safety advisor
Richard De Labio	....	assistant location manager (as Richard DeLabio)
Carol Demarti	....	fabric painter
Carol Demarti	....	head dyer and ager
Thomas S. Dickson	....	location projectionist (as Tommy Dickson)
Judi Dolan	....	location projectionist
Caleb Duffy	....	production assistant
Linda Dunn	....	animal trainer
Joseph G. Eckardt	....	assistant: Val Kilmer (as Joseph Eckart)
Kerry Ellis	....	assistant: Val Kilmer
Roy George	....	production assistant
Sergio Giacoman	....	catering assistant
Rob Gibson	....	location manager
Tony Gomez	....	craft service
Geoff Harding	....	assistant location manager (as Geoffrey Harding)
Kelly Harris	....	assistant location manager (as Kelly M. Harris)
Robert Kalstrom	....	police officer (as Robert B. Kalstrom)
Lambert Keenan	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Officer Lambert Keenan)
Tim Kendrick	....	accounting clerk
Angela Kent	....	assistant production accountant
Ohkee Kim	....	assistant: Joel Iwataki (as Okhee Kim)
Zak Knutson	....	on-set production assistant
Christian Krieger	....	assistant location manager
Shari LaFranchi Blakney	....	production coordinator (as Shari LaFranchi)
Steven D. Levine	....	assistant location manager
Jennifer Lobban	....	assistant production accountant
Suzan Lowitz	....	additional script supervisor
Dana Mackey	....	production associate
Mary Lamar Mahler	....	medic
Susan Malerstein	....	script supervisor (as Susan Malerstein-Watkins)
Robert Masson	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Sr. Deputy Robert Masson)
Thomas John McGowan	....	studio teacher (as Thomas J. McGowan)
Charissa McLain	....	assistant production coordinator
Luis Alberto Mena	....	catering assistant
Liz Mersky	....	assistant: Jim Behnke (as Elizabeth Mersky)
Daniel Messler	....	payroll accountant (as Daniel R. Messler)
Josh Mott	....	craft service (as Josh A. Mott)
Marie Nashold	....	medic
Shaun O'Banion	....	assistant: Val Kilmer
Joshua Ornstein	....	first assistant production accountant
Candice Ouaknine	....	assistant: D.J. Caruso
Tuey Paiyarat	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Investigator Tuey Paiyarat)
Larry Payne	....	animal coordinator
Bronwyn Preston	....	unit publicist
John Wayne Randolph	....	craft service
Michael Randolph	....	craft service (as Michael G. Randolph)
Paul Rathburn	....	catering assistant
Steve Rinks	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Sergeant Steve Rinks)
Mel Scholl	....	police officer
Anne Scott	....	post-production accountant
Lucas Solomon	....	computer playback (as Lucas J. Solomon)
Ronald P. Tavalaro	....	location projectionist
Jack Tice	....	studio teacher
John Walsh	....	fire safety advisor
Vanessa White	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB (as Deputy Vanessa White)
Tim Wienckowski	....	police officer
Donald H. Winslow	....	police coordinator (as Don Winslow)
Nola Wittenberg	....	technical advisor: Riverside County SIB
Ronald Wayne Yakshe	....	caterer (as Ronald W. Yakshe)
Debra Leilani Bakeman	....	medic (uncredited)
K.C. Ligon	....	dialect coach (uncredited)
Paulette Osorio	....	publicity executive (uncredited)

Thanks
Gregg Landaker	....	the producers wish to gratefully thank
Steve Maslow	....	the producers wish to gratefully thank
Larry D. Smith	....	the producers wish to gratefully thank (as Sheriff Larry D. Smith of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department)

Production Companies

• Castle Rock Entertainment
• Darkwoods Productions
• Humble Journey Films

Distributors

• Warner Bros (2002) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2002) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment (2002) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2002) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2002) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2002) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2002) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2002) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (2002) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• Sandrews (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (200?) (Netherlands) (video)

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group (special make-up and animatronic effects)
• Riot (visual effects) (as R!OT Pictures)

Other Companies

• American Humane Association, The  animal action monitoring
• California State Park System  the producers gratefully wish to thank (as California State Parks, Salton Sea Sector)
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Direct Tools & Fasteners  expendables
• Kodak  motion picture film
• Los Angeles Center Studios  filmed at
• Oceanview Mastering  music mastering (as Ocean View)
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  cameras & lenses
• Set Ready Craft Service  craft service
• Technicolor  color & prints by (as Technicolor®)
• Todd-AO Scoring Stage  music recorded at
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack
• Village Recorder, The  music mixed at (as The Village)
• Village Recorder, The  music recorded at (as The Village)
• Warner Bros. Studio Facilities  sound re-recording
• Weddington Productions  sound editorial by

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, drug use, language and some sexuality

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (nf) | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | Iceland:16 | USA:R (No. 38029) | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

St. Vincent Catholic Church - 621 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Peter Sarsgaard grew in a mullet over a three month period for the film. During this time he also went to crystal meth anonymous meetings and various juvenile halls.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end where Danny/Tom asks Jimmy to do a favor, the amount of soda in the bottle on the table changes between shots.

Quotes:

Danny:How do you know you're doing the right thing, Finn?
Finn:I dunno, like... people around you are happy, you know, they say thank you and stuff, right...? Just go with the Flow... you know?

Movie Connections:

References Outbreak (1995)

Soundtrack:

My Weakness

Stylish neo-noir.

The Salton Sea is a hypersaline artificial body of water accidentally created when engineers lost control of the Colorado River flow with which they were replenishing irrigation canals in California's Imperial Valley. For two years (1905-1907), the Colorado River was uncontrollably diverted from its natural course, filling the Salton Trough (part of the San Andreas Fault) before finally being set back on course. Since then, the Salton Sea continues to be replenished by irrigation runoff with no means of outflow except evaporation. It lies approximately 130 miles northeast of San Diego at the lowest point of the Sonoran Desert (278 feet below sea level). In that part of the world, the temperatures in summer, effectively April through November, can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or even higher. In recent years, it has experienced massive fish and bird kills. In short, the Salton Sea is an apt metaphor for Hell ... which is just where Danny Parker/Tom Van Allen (Val Kilmer) finds himself at the beginning of this film, surrounded by flames. "The Salton Sea" is a highly stylized movie in which nearly all elements are executed well. The acting is generally excellent. Kilmer in the lead role does his best work since "Tombstone", and Vincent D'Onofrio, an actor for whom I don't ordinarily care, is utterly convincing as the demented crank dealer Pooh Bear. He was so good I forgot I was watching D'Onofrio. Excellent supporting performances are contributed by Peter Sarsgaard as Danny/Tom's best friend, Doug Hutchison and Anthony LaPaglia as the two L.A. County Sheriff's deputies for whom Danny snitches, and Adam Goldberg as tweaker-in-residence Kujo. Even the minor characters of Creeper (Ricky Trammell), Big Bill (Josh Todd), and the gun seller (Mpho Koaho) are portrayed to perfection. My only complaint is that Deborah Kara Unger simply wasn't able to pull off her part as the strung-out lowlife Colette, perhaps because she's just too beautiful to be convincing in such a role. As an anti-parallel, imagine Danny Trejo cast as James Bond.

Cinematography and editing were top notch, and the production design for this film was fantastic, from the diseased walls of Danny/Tom's apartment to the Level 4 biohazard lab in the 'Kujo's Big Heist' segment, with technicians wearing space suits that look like they came directly from Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey". Even the smallest details were done with style, such as the flames cascading down Danny/Tom's arm from the sunburst tattoo centered on the scar of his shoulder wound. The intricate plot of Tony Gayton's script requires the viewer's suspension of disbelief at some points, but not enough to detract significantly from the overall merit of the movie. This is a very strong feature film debut for director D.J. Caruso, and I look forward to his future work. One of the best films I've seen in the last three years, "The Salton Sea" is definitely worth watching. Rating: 8/10