Release Date:
04/26/2002
Val Kilmer used to be a pretty sought-after talent, at least before it was revealed that his on-set behavior was bitchier than Whitney Houston in detox. So Val headed to the last bastion of the Humbled Movie Star, the low-profile, gritty addiction drama (which is also home to Upstart Indie Actor and Nameless Character Actor).
The Salton Sea is like some weird hybrid of Trainspotting and several noir films that, we aint gonna lie to ya, misses the mark more than it hits. But when it does hit, it does so with styleVincent DOnofrios noseless villain, the JFK assasination reenacted with pigeons, and the bizarre badger scene. These are great crime-movie bits, but they make some of the misguided moments seem worse by comparison (the stool sample heist sequence is funny, but seems like it came in from another movie, and some of the dialogue is unforgivably pretentious). Kilmers trumpet-playing antihero is straight from the pages of a pulp novel, and the basic revenge plotline is cool, but some lame elements and a weak climax pull Salton down lower than it should have gone. Still, if Val can calm his inner asshole, this could lead to a return to form.
The Salton Sea is like some weird hybrid of Trainspotting and several noir films that, we aint gonna lie to ya, misses the mark more than it hits. But when it does hit, it does so with styleVincent DOnofrios noseless villain, the JFK assasination reenacted with pigeons, and the bizarre badger scene. These are great crime-movie bits, but they make some of the misguided moments seem worse by comparison (the stool sample heist sequence is funny, but seems like it came in from another movie, and some of the dialogue is unforgivably pretentious). Kilmers trumpet-playing antihero is straight from the pages of a pulp novel, and the basic revenge plotline is cool, but some lame elements and a weak climax pull Salton down lower than it should have gone. Still, if Val can calm his inner asshole, this could lead to a return to form.