Stars: Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard, Doug Hutchison, Adam Goldberg, Deborah Unger, B.D. Wong, Chandra West, Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo, B.D. Wong, Anthony LaPaglia

Director: D.J. Caruso

Summary: Caught up in the permanent nighttime of the habitual methamphetamine user, Danny Parker (Val Kilmer) and his friends close the curtains so they can't tell what time of day it is. But while his associates revel in their highs, Danny is haunted by his previous life as Tom Van Allen, a trumpet player who lost his wife (Chandra West) in the crossfire of a shoot out. In an effort to find his wife's killer, Tom became a police informant, adopting a heavily-tattooed disguise. When he discovers that a Mexican drug lord has put a hit out on him, Danny decides to pull one last score--unfortunately involving Pooh-Bear (Vincent D'Onofrio), a childlike kingpin with a penchant for torture and a yawning void where his nose once was.<BR>D.J. Caruso's debut is a beautifully photographed punk-noir set against the backdrop of a gang of speed freaks in contemporary L.A. Opening with a brief history of methamphetamine, THE SALTON SEA immediately establishes an original tone for its kaleidoscopic tour through well-traveled territory. Taking its cue from the wave of mid-1990s crime films, the script by Tony Gayton (MURDER BY NUMBERS) delivers the usual doses of hip gallows humor, but also infuses the proceedings with dollops of pain and loss, often shifting the tone to that of the more soulful, responsible crime films of the 1970s.

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The largest lake in California becomes a symbol of a lost idyll in DJ Caruso's excellent noir-ish thriller The Salton Sea. Val Kilmer is superb as lowlife Danny Parker, or perhaps trumpeter Thomas Van Allen; a man so far over the edge in tragedy, duplicity and drugs he no longer knows or cares who he is. A warped revenge drama occupying similar territory to Memento, The Salton Seais not as ingenious as that instant classic, but is more elegantly stylised, boasting superb production design, cinematography and music, the latter by Thomas Newman. Along for the ride is Deborah Kara Unger, and those who remember her from The Gamewill do well to take Kilmer's narration to heart when he says nothing is as it seems. Distinguishing what could have been simply a good thriller are elements not just of humour, but of laugh-out-loud hilarity funnier than most recent comedies; indeed, The Salton Seais the most striking fusion of laughter and darkness since the admittedly very different An American Werewolf in London(1981). In this respect, Vincent D'Onofrio delivers a side-splitting and audacious performance as drug baron Pooh Bear. Watch out for the rabid badger.

On the DVD:The Salton Seais presented anamorphically enhanced at 1.77:1, with a flawless picture that captures the rich tones and extreme visual contrasts to perfection. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is crystal clear and deeply atmospheric. Extras are the theatrical trailer, plus features on the production design (eight minutes) and cast and crew (nine minutes). More intelligent than the expected Electronic Press Kit material, the running length means they are still fairly perfunctory. --Gary S Dalkin

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Embracing The Chaos, Meth And Method, Trailer
Year:	2002
Release Date:	May 26, 2003
Runtime:	99 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 018882
Keywords:	Sea, General, Wide, Screen, Thriller, Salton
Genre:	Thriller