The Salton Sea

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Movie
German title The Salton Sea
Original title The Salton Sea
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2002
length 100 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director DJ Caruso
script Tony Gayton
production Ken Aguado
Jim Behnke
Frank Darabont
Eriq La Salle
Butch Robinson
music Gil Evans
Thomas Newman
camera Amir M. Mokri
cut Jim Page
occupation

The Salton Sea is an American thriller from DJ Caruso from the year 2002 . The main role was played by Val Kilmer .

action

The protagonist sits in a burning apartment and plays the trumpet. Off-screen he explains that he no longer knows who or what he is: Tom Van Allen or Danny Parker, coward or avenging angel. He speaks to the viewer directly and wants to let them decide. Then he begins to tell his story.

There is a brief summary of the history of the drug crystal meth as well as insights into the drug scene in Los Angeles . A world that Danny Parker chose to live in. Together with his friend Jimmy, he is part of a clique of speed junkies who often party for days and live into the day. On the side, Danny is forced to work as a police spy for the cops Garcetti and Morgan, whom he regularly whistles to dealers. But Danny wasn't always that bogus wreck.

Prior to joining the drug scene, he was Tom Van Allen, a happily married jazz musician. During a trip with his wife to the Salton Sea , this happiness came to an abrupt end: When they asked for directions in a house, it was stormed by two masked men, who shot the residents and Tom's wife in cold blood. He survived himself injured by a ricochet and the killers unnoticed in the bathroom. He has to witness the murder of his wife; but since he cannot help her, he decides to remain in his hiding place and not to intervene, which in all probability would mean his death. It is made to appear that this trauma (just standing by and not having died with his wife) is responsible for his social decline.

When Danny / Tom is dropped by the cops because he was blown up while betraying a major dealer and is now on the hit list, he threads one last deal. This should bring him enough money to follow the advice of the cops to disappear. In the deal, Danny acts as the middleman between the dangerous dealer Pooh the Bear and a financially strong buyer. He also falls in love with his new neighbor Colette, who is constantly being abused by her boyfriend Quincy. He hands her drugs to hide in her friend Quincy's apartment so that he can be arrested on Danny's tip. The raid goes on, but apparently Colette didn't place the drugs in the apartment.

At a meeting with the potential drug user, the latter turns out to be an FBI agent with whom Tom / Danny is working. During a meeting with the agent's team, Tom / Danny's dark story is recapitulated: The house in which Tom's wife was shot was a drug laboratory. Tom also finds out that the killers were corrupt cops named Garcetti and Morgan, his contact persons. In order to get closer to them he breaks away from his family and acts as a civilian undercover agent, the junkie 'Danny Parker', who works as an informant for the said police officers. These are now to be arrested, as well as 'Pooh, the Bear', with the help of the decoy Danny / Tom while the deal is being processed.

But Danny / Tom has their own plan. He betrays the FBI and sends his friend Jimmy to the supposed meeting point. Meanwhile, he goes alone to 'Pooh, the Bear' house, in which he had hidden a gun during a previous visit. A shootout ensues in the course of which Danny / Tom can bring down Pooh's gang, but is knocked out in the meantime. When the cops finally appear, they think Danny / Tom is dead and then kill the wounded Pooh. After Danny / Tom regained consciousness, he shoots Garcetti and engages Morgan, his wife's murderer, in a conversation that aims to explain the circumstances of Tom's actions to him. After a brief duel, Tom incapacitates Agent Morgan with a syringe full of drugs. He is then tempted to commit suicide, but ultimately changes his mind and empties the entire magazine of his weapon at Morgan.

Back in his apartment, he is lighting a cigarette when his neighbor Colette and her "friend" Quincy come in. As indicated in a previous scene, Colette hadn't been hiding the drugs. She was also set by the big dealer to target the alleged informer Danny Parker and ultimately forced to betray him. Quincy shoots Tom in the stomach and leaves him in the apartment that was set on fire from the dropped cigarette. Tom replies to Colette's apologies that "it's not that bad". In the scenario known from the opening scene, he is now sitting in the burning apartment and playing the trumpet while slowly passing out, but is found and saved by his friend Jimmy in time.

At the end of the film, the protagonist's future is uncertain. He explains that "Tom Van Allen" suffered his revenge and the informer "Danny Parker" was shot in the stomach, so that in his opinion both are now dead. He himself still doesn't know who he is, but he has very good prospects and is confident about the future.

Narrative

The presentation of the action takes place on several temporal levels. After the opening scene, there is a big jump back in time, which is then basically chronologically structured and takes up almost the entire duration of the film. Within this retrospective, there are always moments that have Tom Van Allen's excursion with his wife and her death as their theme. The murder of Tom's wife is shown in more detail over time. Towards the end of the film, things come full circle and the story continues from the time of the opening scene.

The film is narrated and commented off-screen by Tom / Danny. Sometimes he speaks to the viewer directly.

Reviews

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the plot did not follow the standards of the thriller. He praised the portrayals of Val Kilmer and Anthony LaPaglia.

The lexicon of international films wrote that the “cleverly constructed and formally remarkable drug thriller” captivates “with the cast of the cast that is excellent down to the smallest supporting roles”.

Awards

Val Kilmer won the Prism Award in 2003 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ ReelViews
  2. ^ The Salton Sea in the Lexicon of International FilmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used , accessed November 14, 2008