Well, I certainly can't say that U-TURN is a boring movie, with all those weird characters, weird situations, and (especially) the weird direction
It's an interesting ride, "U-Turn" is; but the incredible talents of just about everyone involved in the film don't live up to the potential.
The individual performances are suitably over-the-top (for the most part) - in fact, the only characters in the entire film that seem even remotely "normal" are the guys that hold up the groceria. They act just like you'd expect hoodlums to behave (but in the end, they are little more than props). None of the other characters act like you think they should. First impressions of each one are quickly destroyed, only to have it shattered as you progress deeper below the surface.
The only problem is that the "chocolatey center" of this celluloid Tootsie-Pop isn't all that tasty. The "shocking revelation" toward the end was so obvious to me from almost the very beginning that I found the on screen reactions to it to be too comical to be believed.
I would say that Sean Penn has never been better, but I think that's true for almost every film he is in. He's the "straight man", for the most part, and the film revolves around him.
I'd have to categorize it as a good "Film Noir" tale, but almost completely outdoors in the bright sun. It has all the traditional elements, but it still doesn't quite come together. "Film Noir" works best in the shadows...
"U-Turn" is to Oliver Stone what "Wild at Heart" was to David Lynch. In both movies, you're left with a distinct flavour of "What the Hell?"
Technically, the film is good. The visuals, the soundtrack, the performances, the direction, the flow of the story... but it's like taking a very long trip in a really great car, only to end up in an extremely dull place that just wasn't quite worth the time or the drive (which, now that I think about it, is a very good way of describing the movie - in more ways than one)
Rating :
* * & 1/2
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