The Hot Spot (1990)

The Hot Spot (1990)  Directed by Dennis Hopper, written by Nona Tyson from the book by Charles Williams

"Film Noir Like You've Never Seen"

 

A man with no back story (Don Johnson) drifts into a small Texas town and, having caused havoc in the lives of others, is almost redeemed by the love of a woman (Jennifer Connelly) before fate ensures that he arrives at a more appropriate destiny.

Hopper does a pretty good job of creating a modern take on the forties film noir, observing most of the conventions. He has the cynical, amoral leading man with an ulterior motive or two, the smouldering femme fatale (a scene stealing performance from Virginia Madsen), the constrained and constricting locale and a spot of petty larceny.

And this being in 1990 he chucks in a bit more explicit sexual behaviour than would have been allowed back in the genre's heyday, although this actually detracts from the film rather than adding to it.

Don Johnson, limited actor that he is, is much more comfortable looking troubled and moody than he does in trying to portray the boredom and ennui that leads his character to seek excitement through robbery, fire starting and illicit sexual relationships. During the scenes that are supposed to show how he has become so world weary that nothing can spark any interest (drinking, smoking, visiting a strip club ) he looks more as though he's waiting for someone to shout "action" rather than portray some sort of desolute dead end.

On the acting front the film is saved b the two female leads : Virgina Masden's bored small town wife (of Johnson's boss) manages to vamp her way through each of her scenes, smouldering away, yet never appear ridiculous or a pantomime character.
Equally, Connelly does a pretty good job of floating around as the damaged/fractured innocent who offers Johnson's character redemption right up to the very satisfying pay off in the final scene.

Dennis Hopper directs in a solid fashion, far less showy than in "Colors" or "Out Of The Blue", he allows the setting, the script and the construct to pull the film along, only once dropping in a showboating shot -and then to good effect.

A respectable, well made film that only just misses out on hitting the targets it sets out aiming for. Could have been much, much worse.