The Hot Spot (1990)

Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities - and the local women - after he robs a bank.

Director:

Dennis Hopper

Writers:

Charles Williams (book), Nona Tyson (screenplay)

Stars:

Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Johnson	...	Harry Madox
Virginia Madsen	...	Dolly Harshaw
Jennifer Connelly	...	Gloria Harper
Charles Martin Smith	...	Lon Gulick
William Sadler	...	Frank Sutton
Jerry Hardin	...	George Harshaw
Barry Corbin	...	Sheriff
Leon Rippy	...	Deputy Tate
Jack Nance	...	Julian Ward
Virgil Frye	...	Deputy Buck
John Hawker	...	Uncle Mort
Margaret Bowman	...	Woman at Gas Station
Debra Cole	...	Irene Davey
Karen Culley	...	Cowgirl
Cody Haynes	...	Cowboy

Storyline

When the drifter Harry Madox reaches a small town in Texas, he gets a job as used car salesman with the dealer George Harshaw and settles down in a hotel room. During a fire, Harry observes that the local bank is left empty and open without any security. Soon he plots a scheme to rob the bank, provoking a fire in his room to distract the employees. When Harry meets George's wife Dolly Harshaw, the easy woman teases him and they have sex. Harry becomes the prime suspect of the bank heist and is arrested, but Dolly provides the necessary alibi to release him and then blackmails him into having a love affair with her. However, Harry falls in love with Gloria Harper, who works as an accountant at the dealership. He discovers that Gloria is being blackmailed by the despicable Frank Sutton, and he decides to press Sutton.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | panties | breasts | menage a trois | leg spreading | 

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Taglines:

Safe is never sex. It's dangerous.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Paul Lewis had first tried to set this up in the mid -70's , with Robert Mitchum starring.

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Goofs

After Harry shoots Frank, the pistol's slider is seen stuck at the rear position indicating an empty magazine. Yet a second later when Harry gets off the floor, the slider is in the forward position and the hammer is cocked.

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Quotes

Harry Madox: If you fall out of bed again the cockroaches are gonna start talkin.

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Alternate Versions

UK and US DVD versions are cut.

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Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: My Occurrence (2002)

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Soundtracks

Love MD
Performed by Hank Williams Jr.
Written by Tony Joe White and Leanne White
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Southwest trash that burns out of control

This is classic southwest film noir/romance novel brought to life. Although the plot is the standard lets kill a cuckolded, rich husband (with sex!) and take off with the new handsome stranger, the heat of this film lies in its characterizations. Don Johnson is almost perfect as the handsome stranger/used car salesman/bank robber/arsonist/white knight in shining (but obviously tarnished) armor. Jennifer Connelly's understated desperation at her situation is almost exactly balanced by Virginia Madsen's almost over the top vixen/gold digger. Other characters add the perfect backdrop to the action (Charles Martin Smith's "nose sniff" scene is absolutely classic). The twists and turns of the plot and revelations makes this movie constantly interesting.

It really doesn't get much better than this--Jennifer Connelly does a rare, for her, nude scene, as does Virginia Madsen, Don Johnson, and a bevy of strippers.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hot Spot

Filming Locations:

117 N Main St Taylor, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$112,188, 14 October 1990

Gross USA:

$1,293,976

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,293,976

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1