SnoopyStyle Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) can't nail down a job due to his leg. He's running low on money. He goes to Red Rock to look for a drilling job. The bartender Wayne Brown (J.T. Walsh) assumes Michael to be Lyle from Dallas. He has hired Lyle (Dennis Hopper) to kill his cheating wife Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael takes the money and tells her. She makes a counter offer to double the money. He writes a letter to the sheriff. When he tries to leave town, he accidentally hits a man. He brings the injured man to the hospital but the man has actually been shot. Then Wayne Brown walks in as the sheriff of this little town but that's not the end of this twisty plot.This is stripped down. There is a desolate feel to everything. The characters are dark. Nicolas Cage does some of his best work. Dennis Hopper is doing his dark killer character. Lara Flynn Boyle nails the femme fatale act. It does add a few too many craziness but I do like the hard noir style.

FlashCallahan When a promised job for Michael fails to materialise in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne, the town Sheriff, to be the hit-man he hired to kill his unfaithful wife, Suzanne. Mike takes full advantage of the situation, collects the money and runs. During his getaway, things go wrong, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hit-man, who happens to be Dennis Hopper....Red Rock West is one of Dahl's more overlooked movies, but it's certainly one of the best, and in my opinion, it's a more satisfying experience than 'The Last Seduction'.But it's probably because I saw it a long time after its release, and it has two great performances from the late Hopper and Walsh, both of whom never failed to disappoint, but most of all, its so good to see Cage put in a great performance, because as we all know, he's not been too picky with his choice of roles lately.The story is great, the narrative handles the twists cleverly, and it has that classy feel to it, a thriller you can really get your teeth into, and even though you know that Cage will come good, the film has so many surprises, you can forgive the predictability.Well worth watching.

grantss Intriguing crime-drama. Set-up is great. Plot development is good - suspense is maintained throughout. Plot is interesting, but not watertight - some things just don't gel. Dialogue is a bit clichéd at times. Ending also feels a bit unrealistic.This all said, quite entertaining and always intriguing.Good performance from Nicholas Cage in the lead role. Lara Flynn Boyle puts in a solid performance as the femme fatale. Dennis Hopper overdoes the theatrics though.Supporting cast are OK. Best of the bunch would be Timothy Carhart as the lead Deputy Sheriff.

cmoyton John Dahls opening salvo as director ranks among the best compared to his fellow contemporary directors. Sandwiched between Kill Me Again and The Last Seduction, Red Rock West was one of three "neo noirs" directed by Dahl who now finds himself marooned in TV land. It has a cast to die for and Nicholas Cage at the peak of his career. It is fantastic to see that the late J.T. Walsh is given a substantial role as bar owner/sheriff Wayne and shares as much screen time as Cage, Hopper and Boyle.Cage plays an out of work jobless drifter who in desperation pretends to be someone else to secure employment. Unfortunately the "job" requires him to murder the wife of a small town bar owner. Although he takes the money and runs from the town of Red Rock his own honesty sucks him back into the town into a shed load of trouble. Being in noir territory plot twists and deception abound. Denniis Hopper excels as hit-man Lyle. His acting is a joy to behold - all the usual Hopper mannerisms are present and the razor sharp dialogue flows from his lips in a unique style that no other actor is ever likely to replicate again. A true one off. Having said that the movies sharpest line is given to bit part actor Dwight Yoakam. My only beef is how they made sexy actress Lara Flynn Boyle look so frumpy in her rural cowgirl clothing but her acting is first class as usual.Of course there are the usual plot contrivances only found in movies in order to move the story along - the worst possibly being Cage being rescued by Hopper (the man he happens to be impersonating) just after he escapes the clutches of J.T. Walsh's crooked sheriff.I am always amazed at the blank expressions i receive when i name check this movie to others. Do yourself a favour and rent/buy this movie immediately.