Film Review: Red Rock West (1993)

“Ordinary man in extraordinary situation” is premise that served Alfred Hitchcock in his classic suspense thrillers. The very same premise was also used in film noir, and it is still used in its modern neo-noir equivalent. One of the good examples could be found in the protagonist of Red Rock West, 1993 thriller directed by John Dahl.

The plot begins in Wyoming where Michael Williams (played by Nicolas Cage), US Marine veteran fallen on hard times, came from Texas hoping to get oil drilling job. Unfortunately, a knee injury prevents him to actually get hired so Michael, who has spent almost all money on travel expenses, is in a desperate situation. He comes to a bar in small town Red Rock where the owner named Wayne (played by J. T. Walsh) mistakes him for “Lyle”, mysterious Texan whom he hired to do certain job. Michael plays along, even when being given 5000 US$ and realising that the job includes murdering Wayne’s wife Suzanne (played by Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael takes the money but, before leaving town, decides to warn Suzanne who, much to his surprise, offers another 5000 US$ to kill her husband. Michael again takes money but this time decides to leave Red Rock for good. Fate intervenes and Michael is forced to return to town where he would have to answer all kinds of unpleasant questions and discover that many people aren’t exactly who are supposed to be. Things are further complicated with arrival of real Lyle (played by Dennis Hopper) who obviously isn’t happy with someone trying to take away his livelihood.

Script that John Dahl wrote with his brother Ric Dahl represents film noir in its basic elements – an ordinary and generally decent fellow who gets involved in something way over his head; double crosses, violence and murder motivated by simple greed; and, last but not least, femme fatale which happens to be brunette. Red Rock West, however, adds another interesting Western flavour, very much like the setting of Dahl’s previous film Kill Me Again. Here, unlike the deserts of US Southwest, the Western setting is somewhat more generic but also underlined with the use of soundtrack, which involves song by Dwight Yoakam, country and western star who here appears in his acting debut as truck driver in small but effective role. The setting was also put to good use thanks to outstanding cinematography by Marc Reshovsky, whose work enhances both scenes that takes place during day and during night.

Dahl’s mode of direction is simple and minimalistic and, despite some visual nodes to Lynch’s work, is subservient to the story instead of pursuit of “cool” style. As such, Red Rock West is a film that relies much on actors. Dahl was fortunate to have remarkable cast. Nicolas Cage, known for his long, prolific and diverse filmography, is here quite subdued compared with his later and more over-the-top performances. This is very much due to Michael being one of the most “normie” characters in his Cage’s career – an ordinary man who had misfortune of making few wrong decisions. What sets Michael apart from other Cage’s characters, as well from most characters in noir genre, is that, despite everything, tries to do the right thing and displays almost suicidal honesty, with script offering him plenty opportunity to get the money or escape the trouble by petty theft, cowardice or simply being economical with truth.

Cage’s great performance is matched by very good presence of Lara Flynn Boyle who handles role of noirish femme fatale well, although not as impressively or memorably like Joanne Whalley-Kilmer in Dahl’s previous film or Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction. Dennis Hopper, character actor who became legendary for the impressive series of over-the-top villains, is also relatively subdued in this film, but he nevertheless does an excellent job; its mere presence is enough to make audience uneasy, at least those who have seen brilliant work in Blue Velvet. J. T. Walsh, character actor who played sinister villains in plenty of films, also shines in one of the rare opportunities to play somewhat larger and meatier role.

Red Rock West was made with relatively low budget in independent production and later had problems of getting cinema distribution in many countries, including USA where it originally appeared on HBO and almost ended direct-to-video. When it finally went into cinemas, critics were enthusiastic and Dahl, quite deservingly, earned reputation of neo-noir master of 1990s Hollywood. Viewers who watch this film today, even those who aren’t hardcore cinephiles, would probably appreciate this simple, effective and entertaining thriller.

RATING: 9/10 (++++)

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