red rock west

Finally got around to watching Red Rock West on DVD. I'd been meaning to see this movie for a year or so, as part of my quest to see all film noirs ever made. As "modern noir" from 1992, the film, which was shot in color, is quite good and quite noirish. It was directed by John Dahl ("Rounders"), and stars Nicholas Cage as a drifter who stumbles into a murder for hire plot in the seedy town of Red Rock. Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle and the late J.T. Walsh also star. There's a great theme song (A Thousand Miles From Nowhere) by Dwight Yoakam, who also has a cameo in the movie. The film contains some plot holes and some unlikely coincidences, but it is so good in all its other aspects that these are quickly forgotten as the story moves along. Red Rock West is not perfect, but it is a must see for fans of noir.