A real visual feast! The picture from the category of “must si” – along with “Kill Bill”, “Run, Lola, run”, “Mind Games” and other modern classics with a beautiful picture and an extraordinary presentation of the plot. Anyone who loves cinema as an art must watch it regardless of whether it is your genre or not. You won't regret it!
In general, not so many such talented, bright, catchy from the first frame and do not let go to the last credit. And “Salton’s Sea” once again confirms the fact that masterpieces are born exactly “suddenly”, their appearance is impossible to predict. The truth is that neither commercial success nor rewards (or the absence of both) are necessarily criteria of quality. Unfortunately, this is the kind of pearl that you can stumble upon only by pure chance.
An unusual story of the appearance of the picture in the light. The playwright writes “The Sea...” simply to demonstrate what an abstractly good script looks like in his understanding, without trying to adjust to the needs of the producer – how, with whom, where, for whom and for whom. The film is being screened by the director-debutant, who shot before this TV shows and serials. And the performer of the main role Val Kilmer, for some reason strongly does not like to once again demonstrate his acting talent to the public, for some time goes against his own rules (hurrah). As a result, DJ Caruso has a directorial debut, which is not ashamed to be proud of until retirement, Val Kilmer is one of the best roles in his track record, we are a wonderful film close to a masterpiece, and the studio Warner Brosers, which decided on this risky fiction, is a grandiose, incomparable failure. Box office in the United States for eight hundred thousand on a budget of eighteen million! In the dust!!
Part of this deafening collapse can be explained by the limited rental and rating of R (probably, and with advertising there was a seam), partly by the gloomy theme, and partly by the unresponsiveness of the viewer to new ideas.
The plot of “Salton’s Sea” is built on scraps of flashbacks and is specially cunningly twisted so that the meaning of the hero’s actions escapes us as long as possible. In principle, this is a very simple story, but served in an unexpected way and served under the most appetizing cinematic sauce. For the writer, this work was a kind of intellectual sketch! Therefore, it is better not to know about the content of the film in advance - to remain innocent, ready for pleasant surprises, trusting viewer. Let the intrigue capture and captivate, intensely follow the chain of events, empathize with the character. And enjoy the breathtaking visual aesthetic of the spectacle!! For the director and the cameraman are maniacs, obsessed with perfection of pictures. Take the first frame - a lonely silhouette trumpeter against the background of flames. It is clear that something special awaits us. What a first shot! To appreciate the style, just look at the cover and poster. Any frame taken arbitrarily at any point in the picture will itself look like a picture. Damn it, even the blood on the pavement is beautifully smeared! Everything was thought out and carefully worked out - every frame, every scene, everything in general. Color palette and angles. Depth of field. Edit. Everything was done by a real artist and with great love. Much attention is paid to the little things that most viewers will not pay attention to, but which create a unique atmosphere of the picture. The visual part is harmoniously and delicately supported by a musical - charming song of a lonely trumpet, a rugged "alternative", brooding blues and modern electronic orchestrations.
This is a film about a hero and without him. It is equally suitable for those who love stories from the series “one in the field warrior” and for cynical echidnas with an allergy to pathos and stamps. Kilmer plays brilliantly. Well, he's actually a really strong actor - it's a pity that most of them prefer to hide it carefully. His character in Salton Sea is a drug addict. And Val did his best to create a compelling image of a junkie. The look, the gait, the posture, the manner of stupidly giggling, in a special way pressing your head into your shoulders... In short, it was not without reason that he traveled to rehabilitation centers in the process of working on the role. His Tom Van Allen has a pure soul, a smart look and subtle self-irony, and from the depths of sad eyes no, no, and the devils will pop out. The actor with jewelry skill balances between images of a punk junkie, an ironic intellectual of unperturbed macho and a mournful angel of revenge. There is something elusively British in his play (in this film). Maybe humor? I think so.
The film is very catchy. From it - aftertaste, which does not pass in an hour or the next day. You wake up in the morning with a pleasant memory: yesterday was something good, what is it? Oh, right. A movie. You smile. The movie is very light, and despite the tragic story and extremely gloomy theme, the sediment leaves a good one.
I totally agree with Tony Gayton: that’s what a movie should be. And it is very significant that the picture was cut: it is atypical and did not fit into the standard frame. This is typical of independent works of art. Great respect to everyone who worked on this movie.
Eleven points out of ten!