Straight to Hell (1987)

A Masterpiece!

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

"Straight to Hell" follows a trio of criminals (with a female sidekick, making them a quad) who rob a suitcase full of cash and take off into the desert to go into hiding. Their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in the middle of a desert valley, where they find a seemingly abandoned ghost town. The next morning, however, a band of wild, murderous cowboys roll into town with guns, whiskey, and... espresso machines. This utterly insane late '80s western romp pays homage to spaghetti westerns, Sergio Leone, and Clint Eastwood in equal measure, but drowned in such heavy idiosyncrasies and whacked out writing that the audience can do nothing but sit back and attempt to take it all in. In all truth, the writing here is completely underdeveloped, and the film feels like a melange of punk rockers and culture icons thrown in front of a camera in the Spanish desert—because that's kind of what it is.Alex Cox, who infamously directed "Repo Man" and "Sid & Nancy," is the director and co-writer here, and while the script is delightfully absurd and full of issues (it has been said that Cox and his co-writer came up with it in a matter of three days), the direction is decent, and the film seems to rise above its production values on a visual level. It utilizes the western ghost town sets in Almeria, Spain, which were historically used in many spaghetti westerns, and even some Eastwood films, and the dusty desert atmosphere is laid on thick.The real attraction of this film is its cast, largely made up of musicians—we've got Joe Strummer, Sy Richardson, and Dick Rude as the three bandidos, with a pre-Hole, pre-rhinoplasty Courtney Love playing their screeching yet somehow endearing pregnant sidekick. Rounding out the cast is The Pogues, Xander Berkeley, Elvis Costello, an insouciant Grace Jones, and Dennis Hopper, mad as a hatter. The film really seems like an excuse for this ensemble of punk rockers, rejects, and icons to run around the desert dancing, shooting each other, and drinking coffee, and that's just the pretense one has to accept with this film.All in all, "Straight to Hell" will be a chore for many to sit through, but for anyone who appreciates bizarre cinema, spaghetti westerns, or exploitation trash will have a great time with this film (watching it through, one can see the referential moulds which Quentin Tarantino would come to bring into the cultural lexicon several years later). The narrative is almost completely nonsensical, but the visuals, paired with what is probably one of the weirdest casts in film history, really make this not only a time capsule, but a complete and utter anomaly. 7/10.

OK, so I usually don't do this, but I felt compelled after watching this film to ward off other viewers who might be interested. I am a lover of bad movies and trash flicks. Troll 2 was hysterical, Showgirls is on my top 20 favorites, and there will always be a special place in my heart for Ray Dennis Steckler (far more deserving than Ed Wood of worst/underrated director). All that said, Straight to Hell sucks. And not in a "so bad its funny" or in any cool cult way (yes Grace Jones, Joe Strummer, Dennis Hopper, The Pogues, and Dennis Hopper are in it). It's boring. Like really boring, and not in an interesting Andy Warhol/European art film way. The plot of a bunch of bungling bandits who encounter a small town controlled by the Pogues that leads to a bloody showdown is muddled by, well, its hard to say. The director's films aren't bad, Walker is totally underrated (oh and do not believe for an instant anyone who states "if you like Repo Man, you'll like this". You won't.)The cast isn't really that terrible either. In fact the bad acting might of worked for the film. Even Courtney Love who gets a lot of sh*t for her obnoxious whiny role might have been mildly entertaining (though there is a lot stacked up against her outside this film I guess to warrant contempt). The setting is well realized (easy, a desert sh*thole). The problem is the execution of the script, if there was one. One does get the feeling this was just a big excuse for some hipster party, and we, the outsider audience, are left with the consequences. But there is no build up in tension, character interactions are proved meaningless or are not developed by the films end, there is a lot of standing around talking about coffee, Elvis, sex, and other pseudo-pretentious whatever, which is fine and dandy except it amounts to squat. Characters come and go, and unless you're REALLY paying attention, you'll get an explanation. And the purposeful jokes fall flat due to the bad execution of timing. The film drags. Even Dennis Hopper's cameo is deadened by the supposed rivalry between the two gangs (and the fact his weapons are useless, another unfunny joke). Oddly enough, the film might of fared better if it focused more on Grace Jones and Hopper, as their (very) brief appearance usually gets credited as the best part in the film. I'm being as honest as I possibly can be, this is an awful movie. If you want bizzarro convoluted Western weirdness, watch Alejandro Jodorwsky> If you want a cameo filled punk film filled with dated pretension, watch Jubilee. Hell, re-watch a movie you really really love instead. Let this film be forgotten. Really.

After botching their job, three hit men and a pregnant girlfriend rob a bank and flee into the desert to only have their car breakdown. They come across a small town, but decide to bury the money before making themselves welcome. The town happens to be run by the McMahons, a crazy bunch of shoot 'em up cowboy coffee addicts. Insane! What a bug-eyed experience in loopy and knee-jerk anarchic. There are some memorable set pieces with a gloriously killer soundtrack and an awe-inspiring cast of mostly musicians. So much inspiration and promise, but director/co-writer Alex Cox's deranged concept of mixing the punk culture with spaghetti western influences doesn't seem to entirely click for the occasion and comes off amateurish. The outlandishly comic air only goes on to confuse and build-up many aimless plot developments, which only the people involved in the project seem to be relishing every single minute of it. The budget limitations show up, and it just feels as if it was made on the spot (well it was written in 3 days) and that goes for the trivial and clumsy script. The sporadically novel screenplay can be plodding, despite the erratic and peculiar nature. Still there are some enjoyable set-pieces making their way in, but indeed there are more misses. Cox's direction falls more into the loose bracket, but he smothers it with some stylish flair and milks out a surreal, but rough atmosphere out of the bone-dry Spanish locations. Tom Richmond does a very slick job and colourfully manoeuvres the camera. The hip cast go onto spread their wings and simply crackle together as they come and go. Most of the acting isn't too good, but they get through it on presence alone. Joel Strummer and Sy Richardson naturally emit a cool persona of charismatic confidence. Dick Rude is perfectly raw and Courtney Love annoys with her shrilling. Biff Yeager and the members of the Pogues are amusingly let of the leash. There's also a bunch of ripe performances from Elvis Costello, Miguel Sandoval, Shane MacGowan, Xander Berkeley, Kathy Burke, Ed Tudor-Pole, Jim Jarmusch and a stir crazy Zander Schloss. Making a minor appearance is the ever-reliable Dennis Hopper and a drab-looking Grace Jones. Sure it isn't a successful blend, but there's some quirky interest lurking in this easy-going parody. I think it's coffee break time.

This movie gets better everytime I see it. At first viewing I was unsure what to think, but it has quickly become one of my favorite comedies. See where Tarantino ripped the Jules character for pulp fiction from. See Carl the wiener boy rise up against his oppressors and become a man. Plus the damn Pougues are in it to. All of the actors involved, Sy Richardson, Dick rude, and the late great Joe Strummer all nail thier parts and Courtney love bugs like only courtney love can bug. If you like wacked out original comedy and you're a fan of the Simpsons or Family Guy than this movie is for you.