The Hot Spot (2015)

Wonderful Movie

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The first must-see film of the year.

Reading how the original cast was not available makes me wonder how they could have done better?Don Johnson is so slimy, good looking, cool and dangerous that he makes Robert Mitchum look ho hum in his film noir ventures. Jennifer Connely is about as fresh faced and incredibly beautiful as a 19 year old could be anywhere. Her nude scene on the beach is probably worth the price of this DVD. This was in her "busty" days. Virginia Madsen is incredibly, boldly sexy as the kind of girl your mother told you to avoid. But you can't. The film revolves around this trio as Johnson drifts into town, gets a used car job, gets seduced by the trashy wife of the older owner, starts an affair with Jennifer Connelley, robs a bank, kills a blackmailer, and ends up pondering it all. I won't go into specifics. But the story is pure classic film noir directed by Dennis Hopper. So just enough strange blended with fantastic over the top performances by Barry Corbin and others in the cast. Johnson's best movie performance. Madden's almost best (see LONG GONE where she plays Dixie Lee Box). Great character actors and a great film to watch. Wasn't successful at box office but should have been. Hard people, hard reality, hard knocks. I gave it 10 stars because it was that interesting. If you love Noir, here's a color Noir that will absolutely not disappoint. Watch it in HD.

Director Dennis Hopper seemed to Ride this Movie's Heat Wave with an unrestrained irresistibly to Linger on the Lurid. It makes the Film. Given that two radiant Beauties Headline the Cast, a Yin-Yang of Noir Stereotypes, there is much to Admire and Ogle.Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connelly are simply Sublime and saturated with the Attributes Fitted for the Femme Fatale and the Innocent Lovely. While Madsen is never Off the Over the Top and is Parody personified, the Character is Pure Pulp and can never be taken as anything more than Annoying at Times. Connelly, on the other hand is Restrained and Cuddly as a Puppy Dog.Don Johnson, as the flawed Criminal with a Good Heart and a Throbbing Libido, is Fine and betrays expectations with a more than Phoned In Performance. Director Hopper frames this Neo-Noir with Beautiful and Deadly Images. The Geography is Stifled by the Heat, looks Over Baked and Sterile. The Characters that Inhabit the Small Texan Town go about Their Unremarkable Existence overwhelmed by the Rising Thermometer and Dirty, Dusty Architecture.The Blackmailer's Shack is something out of a Horror Show and the Boss's Mansion is Decadently Decorated with stuffed Dead Animals. All of the Actors contribute to the Jim Thompson like Ambiance Leiden with lurking Hustlers and Grumpy Citizens. The Bluesy Soundtrack is forever Present and adds Flavor to the Steamy Surroundings with an abundance of "Well, Well" and Primordial Grunts and Sexual Groans. Overall, it is a Better than Average Neo-Noir that is well Worth a Watch for Noir Fans that can Wallow in all of its excessive Glory. Dennis Hopper knows Why You are here, and is not Reluctant to let You Wallow and Wallow.

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.

"The Hot Spot" is an immensely entertaining modern film noir thriller which is rich in style, atmosphere and authenticity. These impressive qualities, no doubt, stem from the fact that it's directed by Dennis Hopper whose genuine affinity for this type of material is obvious and also the fact that the original screenplay (which was adapted from Charles Williams' book "Hell Hath No Fury") was written by Williams and Nona Tyson back in 1962. Ueli Steiger's photography and a tremendous soundtrack featuring such luminaries as John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis and Taj Mahal also make very significant contributions to the look and mood of the piece.The movie's characters include all the familiar noir archetypes and also many of the expected themes such as murder, blackmail, double crosses and robbery. The plot takes a number of interesting twists and turns and in keeping with the time in which it was made, the sex and violence are considerably more explicit than would have been possible during the heyday of film noir. The presence of extreme heat is also a consistent feature throughout the film. Desert scenes, perspiration, two major fires in a small town and scenes where the shimmering heat rises from ground level are just some examples of how it's represented visually but the hot blooded nature of some of the characters and their steamy affairs also serve to reinforce the power of the theme.Harry Madox (Don Johnson) is a drifter who arrives in a small Texas town during sizzling hot weather and is soon attracted by the sight of a good looking young woman who he follows to a used car lot. There, he takes a job as a salesman and gradually gets to know Gloria Harper (Jennifer Connelly) who is the bookkeeper at Harshaw Motors. She appears to be rather reserved and naive but something that happens when they go together to deal with a potential repossession case convinces him that she's hiding something.Gloria isn't the only attraction in town that he finds irresistible as there's also the local bank and Dolly Harshaw (Virginia Madsen) who is his boss' wife. The bank doesn't have a functioning security system and is staffed by part-time firemen who leave the property unattended each time they get a call out. Harry sets a building on fire, robs the bank and then bravely rescues a man who's trapped in the burning building and thereby provides himself with an alibi.Harry initially tries to resist Dolly's less than subtle advances but is soon lured into a torrid and dangerous affair with her. At the same time, he continues his relationship with Gloria who's the girl he wants to settle down with permanently. He discovers that she's being blackmailed and resolves that problem violently but another problem created by Dolly proves to be insurmountable.Don Johnson gives a particularly understated performance as the deeply cynical and self serving Harry who believes that "in this life, you've got to take what you want, damn sure can't stand around and wait for somebody to give it to you". He also seems bitter and agitated at times and says that "life's just been a succession of jams over floozies". He immediately fell for Gloria and saw a better future for himself with her but when Harry met Dolly, what followed led him to reflect that "I found my level and (now) I'm livin' it".Virginia Madsen is sensational as the sultry, shameless and seductive femme fatale who is incredibly manipulative and on one occasion, literally uses sex as a murder weapon. Jennifer Connelly's facial expressions convey her character's combination of innocence, fear and sadness very convincingly and the remainder of the cast also provide good support with some colourful and eccentric performances. The best of these come from William Sadler who plays a despicable blackmailer and Jack Nance who excels as the lecherous, heavy drinking banker.