Gold Coast (1997)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Well written story, good acting, moves right along. Better than 99 percent of theatrical "thrillers" that have nothing going in the way of plot or characterization. I liked the subtly quirky characters and Caruso's too-cool-for-words character. Marge Helgenberger was a fun sighting -- hadn't seen her since she was an alien sex slave in Lexx.

I agree with all of the above comments, both good and bad. I taped it just to see Marg Helenbarger, the chick on CSI. She is really very beautiful, in a sort of hard, blonde way. Mostly, though, I fast forwarded thru most of it. I enjoyed the Cuban chick, Vivian, and wished she was in more of the movie. What I didn't like most was the sense of helplessness that the rich widow had. She should have killed the mob guy much sooner.

David Caruso plays the part of a drifter and small-time crook who falls for a newly-wealthy mafia widow and tries to help her thwart the ambitions of a scheming, sadistic mob enforcer who's after her and her money, especially her money. As the creepy villain, Jeff Kober is both obnoxious and scary--he even looks vaguely reptilian. Unexpected plot twists and touches of quirky humor keep the tension going right to the ending, which turns out to be another odd twist in itself. Do not be fooled by the fact that this was a made-for-TV movie; it's actually quite good.

You probably expect this movie to be awful. It's a made-for-cable flick starring David Caruso, and it's already in the $2.99 sale bin at Best Buy.Well guess what? It's a pretty darned good movie. It's a good little mystery with fewer cliches than most theater releases of this genre. Caruso is a likeable, well-meaning but not-quite-competent angel to a mafia widow trying to escape the clutches of the baddies.The performances are capable, the sets have a sumptuous look, the head psycho-baddie is both scary and funny. The dialogue has a touch of poetry, and the story is by Elmore Leonard.And, unlike most of these things, the ending fooled me! That alone makes it worth the rental.Funny thing though, they never should have shot Caruso running. He's a macho guy in his bearing and voice, but he runs very strangely, slowly, with his thighs frozen together and his hips swaying from side to side. Kind of destroys the illusion.