Remember when you looked forward to seeing a new Oliver Stone film?
U-Turn (1997)
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Reviews Counted:44
Fresh:24
Rotten:20
Average Rating:5.9/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A noirish departure for issue-oriented director Oliver Stone, U-TURN stars Sean Penn as Bobby, a gambler on the run who has the misfortune to have his radiator hose blow in a godforsaken Arizona... A noirish departure for issue-oriented director Oliver Stone, U-TURN stars Sean Penn as Bobby, a gambler on the run who has the misfortune to have his radiator hose blow in a godforsaken Arizona hole-in-the-wall. He quickly meets the stunning Grace McKenna (Jennifer Lopez), and they go to her place to become better acquainted. When her husband, real estate king Jake (Nick Nolte), catches the two together in the bedroom, they fight, but at a later meeting, he proposes that Bobby kill his wife for a reasonable sum. At first the gambler turns him down, but when all his money is torn to shreds in a freak accident, he realizes that he won't be able to get his car fixed unless he goes along. Grace's considerable charm, combined with her account of the mistreatment she's suffered at her husband's hands, dissuades Bobby from the job. But she now offers him the same deal to kill Jake. To add to his problems, Bobby is being hawked by the suspicious sheriff (Powers Boothe) and has been targeted by local badass Toby (Joaquin Phoenix), who thinks Bobby is after his girlfriend, Jenny (Clare Danes). Penn turns in a fine performance in this overripe noir, and the photograpy is excellent. The film is based on the excellent short novel STRAY DOGS by John Ridley, who also served as one of the film's producers. [More]
Starring: Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Bob Thornton
Starring: Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Bob Thornton, Powers Boothe, Claire Danes, Joaquin Phoenix, Jon Voight, Abraham Benrubi, Julie Hagerty, Bo Hopkins, Valeri Nikolayev, Laurie Metcalf, Liv Tyler
Director: Oliver Stone
Director: Oliver Stone
Producer: Dan Halsted, John Ridley
Story: John Ridley
Screenwriter: John Ridley
Composer: Ennio Morricone
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Reviews for U-Turn
If you're looking for something light and fun, skip this one. Otherwise, it's worth taking in this exploration of the underbelly of American life.
Stone's constant hammering at the audience with style over substance is bound to alienate most moviegoers.
What makes this film work, however, isn't really its well-oiled familiar movie mechanisms (plot, character, motivation): it's plain enough that Stone knows how to make a picture.
Although many of the performances -- particularly from Nolte, Penn and Thornton -- are enjoyable, the movie plunges so deeply into black comedic hell, all is lost.
Viewers who don't need depth and can ignore technique overkill along with social critique nonsense, should enjoy the bumpy ride offered by 'U Turn.'
U-Turn is fast-paced throughout, with unexpected bursts of twisted humor among the bloody closeups of beatings, shootings and mutilation.
Stone's trademark techniques -- fast cuts, multiple images, mixed film stocks, odd film speeds, weird angles -- overtake the film.
The film takes so many detours that at least one or two of them are bound to surprise even the most jaded movie-goer.
This is Stone in an apolitcal, even -- dare we say it -- lighthearted mood. But this time out his bag of tricks is filled with recycled items: grainy film stock, black-and-white inserts, scolding crows and a non-stop parade of white trashies..."
Latest News for U-Turn
August 09, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...
April 28, 2005:
Oliver Stone to Introduce a New "Night Watchman"
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of filmmaker Oliver Stone's next project, which is the long-discussed, frequently delayed "Night Watchman." Based on an earlier... More...
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