Rating: 
Summary: Good neo-noir, tries to hard at times.
Review: This was an enjoyable example of an often forgotten genre, the film noir. Nicolas Cage gives his best performance (with the exception of leaving las vegas) in this film. Dennis Hopper is especially good, and his entrance in the film is at exactly the right moment. The plot, with a tavern keeper mistaking a down on his luck drifter for a hired assassin, is clever, intriguing and provides for lots of great moments. The film has plenty of twists, and is suitably dark, depressing, and lacking in hope. The only problem is Lara Flynn Boyle. She's trying too hard, and it especially comes across as wrong because Cage and Hopper are so smooth and comfortable in their roles. She operates better as a thought in the back of Cage's head then when she is actually on screen. Still, very well done, though the ending scene cuts out a little abruptly (kind of like the maltese falcon, but way shorter). Worth seeing for those who like noir.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific flick
Review: Very enjoyable movie. Does not require a lot of thought on the viewer's part yet is not a stupid movie. Great cast. Nicholas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dennis Hopper, J.T. Walsh. All work well together. No silly special effects; just a good story. Rent it or buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Film Noir, yes, but with a new dimension
Review: Yes, this is Film Noir, but it's a new step in Film Noir evolution....and not just because it's funny! Cage's character does get into hot water because of one tiny slide into temptation. When he's mistaken for a hired killer, his desperation for money gets the better of him. But he's just too nice to do the job. As he goes deeper into the muck, he has three choices: give in & be corrupted...or walk away & leave these nut-cases to their own dysfunctional devices. Even that wouldn't be enough, though: he's determined to go with the third choice: stay in the game & Make The World a Better Place. Cage can pull it off. His essential goodness seems very real, and the befuddled expression on his face, when confronted by the greed of the other characters, is hilarious. The movie has enough action, but it's really a well-crafted balance of thriller and fable.
Rating:
Summary: An able take on Cain
Review: Yet one more variation on James M. Cain's 1940's blueprint "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Red Rock West" takes a slight edge over similar material like "Body Heat" and "U-Turn" by injecting a fair amount of wicked humor.Nicholas Cage, who plays one of two characters in all his fims--The Slack-Jawed Mumbler or the Wild-Eyed Goofball, utilizes the former to good effect here.Lara Flynn Boyle plays the lean and hungry fatale as only she can, and the late J.T. Walsh is well matched as her oily hubby. With enough twists and turns to make a Coen brother woozy, and one more Dennis Hopper psycho character thrown in for giggles, this entertaining little noir is good for a chuckle on a slow night.
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