The Hot Spot (2015)

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Dennis Hopper once said 'There are moments that I've had some real brilliance, you know. But I think there are moments. And sometimes, in a career, moments are enough.' and I think he was right and this directorial effort by no other than the easy rider himself is nothing short of excellence. It bears everything required for essential cinema viewing, it casually takes you on a stroll where nothing feels forced, you're not choking down information 10 gigawatts per second, trying remembering inordinate amounts of information. No, It's smarter than that, it's the slow cooked approach from the first scene where the main character is met at a crossroads which I felt is symbolic to the entire movie, a drifter no less forced to wait at a train crossing. The movie plays out rather seamlessly like you're a fly on the wall, Drifter Madox (Don Johnson) is fuelled by what fuels most men and as easy as women comes to Madox so does getting into trouble which almost feels like both his gift and curse. He get's a job quite quickly with some agitation/ harm but things start to snowball for him quite quickly for a man only new to town. Great performances from Virginia Madsen as Dolly Harshaw who is perfect as the rich spoiled wife who wants everything and usually gets everything she wants except in this case Madox- and Jennifer Connelly as Gloria Harper is beyond comprehension ( you need to see to believe ) and honestly it's something to seen and don't forget the scene where Madox (Johnson) asks unnervingly beautiful Glora Harper (Connelly) 'Would you like a soda? Yeah, a soda.' 'Do you want a soda?' she replies back. 'Yes I do, yes I do. What would be nicer on a hot afternoon, than a tall, clean, cool, soda.' and for a minute there I thought he was talking about a cool beverage but the essential lesson I derived from this film is when air is thick with temptation take a cold bath and blow a few bubbles because selfish desire and temptation isn't always a good idea - it's almost always bad.

Roger Ebert gave this film three out of four stars and wrote, "Only movie lovers who have marinated their imaginations in the great B movies from RKO and Republic will recognize 'The Hot Spot' as a superior work in an old tradition." ... I couldn't agree more.My review won't contain the redundant synopsis... This movie was well directed, exceptionally well cast, included a superb blues soundtrack, and featured a rare nouveau noir story line that film purists will surely appreciate and enjoy.This is one of those rare gems that deserves a place in your personal library... You can watch it once every six months and enjoy it as much as the last time you saw it... 10/10 stars

Reading how the original cast was not available makes me wonder how they could have done better?Don Johnson is so slimy, good looking, cool and dangerous that he makes Robert Mitchum look ho hum in his film noir ventures. Jennifer Connely is about as fresh faced and incredibly beautiful as a 19 year old could be anywhere. Her nude scene on the beach is probably worth the price of this DVD. This was in her "busty" days. Virginia Madsen is incredibly, boldly sexy as the kind of girl your mother told you to avoid. But you can't. The film revolves around this trio as Johnson drifts into town, gets a used car job, gets seduced by the trashy wife of the older owner, starts an affair with Jennifer Connelley, robs a bank, kills a blackmailer, and ends up pondering it all. I won't go into specifics. But the story is pure classic film noir directed by Dennis Hopper. So just enough strange blended with fantastic over the top performances by Barry Corbin and others in the cast. Johnson's best movie performance. Madden's almost best (see LONG GONE where she plays Dixie Lee Box). Great character actors and a great film to watch. Wasn't successful at box office but should have been. Hard people, hard reality, hard knocks. I gave it 10 stars because it was that interesting. If you love Noir, here's a color Noir that will absolutely not disappoint. Watch it in HD.

Right from the start, "The Hot Spot" promises something different – it has a terrific sense of place, and we feel we already know a lot about Don Johnson's character. Although heat, sex and southern accents are nothing new to drama, they haven't often been put together in a slicker package – Dennis Hopper took film noir on a trip to Texas and came up with a polished, classy-looking movie with great lines and a few twists you don't see coming.The icing on the cake is a soundtrack featuring Miles Davis and John Lee Hooker, which punctuates the story at key points with knowing grunts and moans. The repeated refrain, "Well, well, well", suggests a weary acceptance of human frailty.Johnson's character, Harry Madox, arrives in the Texas town of Landers. He is a drifter, a smart one, but his life seems to be going nowhere. One of the characters puts his finger on the problem when he says to Harry, "What are you anyway – 35-36? Well, you sure as hell haven't set the world on fire so far or you wouldn't be hanging around a place like this". "Yeah, replies Harry, "but I've got ambition".Harry is ready for any opportunity that presents itself, and it doesn't take him long to shake things up, especially the libidos of two women – Gloria Harper and Dolly Harshaw – played by Jennifer Connelly and Virginia Madsen.Using his wits, Harry gets a job at the used car lot owned by George Harshaw where the beautiful Gloria works. Not long after, he meets Harshaw's wife Dolly, and begins an affair with her. "There are only two things to do in this town", she informs him, and as he doesn't have a television set, that only leaves one thing to do. Before the film has finished, Harry and Dolly make love in Harshaw's bedroom, in a car at the used car lot, and even in a sawmill after an evening of spectacular skinny-dipping. Despite Dolly's attraction to him, Harry's interest in Gloria continues to grow, although she is only 19 to his 36.Virginia Madsen throws herself into her role as the scheming wife of a much older man with heart trouble. Her performance is showy, amusing and over-the-top. She provides the light moments in a film that might otherwise be heavy going. She is also the perfect contrast to Jennifer Connelly's detached and ethereal Gloria.Despite his preoccupations, Harry sizes up the Landers bank and pulls off a robbery. He immediately comes under suspicion from the law. After a swim with Gloria – there is a lot of swimming in this film – Harry learns she is being blackmailed by a low-life named Frank Sutton over photographs that suggest she has had a lesbian relationship. William Sadler as Sutton embraces the white trash clichés with relish and delivers a superbly repellent character. Sutton also attempts to blackmail Harry over the bank robbery. Harry's attempt to solve both blackmail problems precipitates the film's final act."The Hot Spot" hits the right spot with a great script and perfect performances – it also has a twist ending to rival the best of them. It's surprising that it didn't do better when first released but it's a great little discovery for anyone who comes across it now.