Barnes & Noble

A thoroughly bizarre combination of film noir and black comedy, The Salton Sea will strike some as being brilliantly conceived and others as being virtually incoherent. In truth, the film is both -- and that’s what makes it so memorable. Val Kilmer portrays Danny Parker, a jazz musician and speed freak who acts as an undercover agent for cops investigating drug dealers. He lives in a seedy world inhabited almost exclusively by lowlifes and eccentrics. None is more eccentric -- or more dangerous -- than Pooh Bear (Vincent D’Onofrio), a drug dealer who lives in a desert fortress, subjects his enemies to inhuman tortures, and spends his spare time reenacting the Kennedy assassination with pet pigeons in model cars. Deborah Kara Unger contributes memorable support as an abused woman who lives in Danny’s fleabag hotel. As written by Tony Gayton and directed by D. J. Caruso, The Salton Sea is not exactly cohesive. But it brings together a wide array of grotesque characters and inventive situations, eventually creating the semblance of a narrative. Caruso’s film reflects the influence of such contemporary filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, but it also has a loopy charm entirely its own. The DVD includes two featurettes on the film’s making, "Embracing the Chaos" and "Meth and Method." Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The feature film debut of producer and TV director D.J. Caruso, this pulpy noir mystery is a dark tale of redemption set among southern California crystal methamphetamine "tweakers." Val Kilmer stars as Danny Parker, a former trumpet player who has become a tattooed speed freak living in a cesspool of murderous dealers and hardcore addicts near the desert lake of the title. Danny's fall from grace is the result of a hidden agenda, however -- he's seeking answers about the murder of his beloved wife. He's also working undercover for a pair of brutal narcotics cops (Anthony Lapaglia and Doug Hutchison), while trying to rescue his beautiful neighbor Colette (Deborah Kara Unger) from an abusive situation and her own demons. As he and his slacker buddy Jimmy the Fin (Peter Sarsgaard) are antagonized by the sadistic, noseless dealer Pooh Bear (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his henchman, Danny draws closer to the truth about his wife's death, but the crime's solution isn't quite what he expected. Produced by Frank Darabont, The Salton Sea co-stars Adam Goldberg, Meat Loaf, Luis Guzman, and Azura Skye. Karl Williams

Washington Post

Lovable absurdity is the saving grace of a drug movie, and on the rare occasion that this genre works, the head trip winds up being a worthwhile journey. Hank Stuever

Chicago Sun-Times

I liked it because it was so endlessly, grotesquely, inventive. Roger Ebert

Hollywood Reporter

A quirky little crime thriller with considerable style and energy to burn. Michael Rechtshaffen

Product Details

• UPC: 085391888222
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:43:00
• Sales Rank: 18,526

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