djmarkalmond Here in the UK the movie came and went at the cinema in the blink of an eye. However, recommended by my brother to watch a few years later. If you enjoy Dennis Hopper films you'll love this. The cast are spot on, the story is "grown up", and the filming... well, as you'd expect from Dennis pure class. Don Johnson made this movie just after the success of Miami Vice TV series, and rates as the coolest dude ever... Virginia Madsen is absolutely stunning in her sex crazed frustrated wife of a rich businessman. But then she is beautiful even in real life (you may remember her as Cassandra in several episodes of Frasier!). Virginia is just as lovely now. It's a shame you never hear much about the movie when reading both Virginia and Don's film history, both actors gave fantastic and convincing performances... The film has a host of other great actors, give this a watch, you won't be disappointed.

SnoopyStyle Drifter Harry Madox (Don Johnson) hustles an used car salesman job from owner George Harshaw in a small desert oasis Texas town. Gloria Harper (Jennifer Connelly) is the secretary and a damsel in distress paying the lascivious Frank Sutton (William Sadler). George's wife Dolly (Virginia Madsen) is the flirtatious femme fatale who starts an affair with Harry. He sets a fire as a distraction to rob the local bank. He ends up as a hero rescuing a guy from the infernal and Gloria falls for him. The police suspects him as a blind customer fingers him for the robbery but Dolly provides him with a false alibi.Director Dennis Hopper is making a kind of old time pulpy sexy noir thriller. He doesn't really succeed. Johnson and Madsen have those sweaty broad performances. Connelly is absolutely alluring as the ingénue. The slow lethargic pace takes its toll. The atmospheric can only carry it so far.

kentuck444 This film has received some so-so reviews however I recommend it highly. It has an all star cast with Don Johnson, Jennifer Connelly and Virginia Madsen. There are many other faces you will recognize in the film. It is quirky just like the director Dennis Hopper. Lots of twists and turns and plenty of sex. Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connelly nude scenes are worth the watch alone. It is a good story complete with Don Johnson snappy one liners and him at his height of cool. This was made during the Miami Vice days. Don Johnson is a drifter who blows into town and gets a job at a used car lot. Soon there are tales of romance, lust, crime, murder and robbery that are woven together in a manner that makes sense. It is a very entertaining film. The scenery of the locations are great too. I dig the film so much that I bought it. Cool classic cars in it too.

tomsview 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.