I first saw this on cable many years ago as it seemed to be replayed endlessly on HBO, Cinemax and Showtime, almost always late at night. Was quite pleasantly surprised upon the first viewing, and have seen it numerous times since.
First a caveat: the villains are a bit too much like caricatures at times. (JT Walsh, always fine, is the exception.) However, though this is the weak part of the film these scenes are watchable, do not halt the momentum and there are some fine moments (like the shooting on the highway near the end).
What really stood out for me though were the scenes between Mantegna and Watts. For anyone who has any familiarity with fate taking a dump on you and irrevocably changing your life for the worse, these 2 characters with their heartbreaking and compelling backstories will really move and involve you.
The writing and directing is top notch in these scenes, and the performances are outstanding. (I've never seen Watts as good even in her more highly praised roles; BTW, I've also never seen her as beautiful and attractive, too). The way the backstories are presented are very realistic, no overdramatics here -- and I really like the fact that there were no flashbacks nor too many details given, only what the characters felt necessary or able to divulge.
This is especially true for Naomi Watts' wheelchair-bound character. We can see how jaded she is from her suffering, but she never explicitly mentions the incident that caused her to be wheelchair-bound, which is how it would be in real life.
I do not say this lightly: these scenes are some of the most poignant, absorbing and moving scenes between two romantic yet damaged characters that I've seen, at least in recent memory.
Also excellent on this film were Kelly Lynch (never seen her better and rarely have I seen a heroin addict better portrayed), the soundtrack which I found haunting and evocative, and the crisp and beautiful camera-work.
Unfortunately, the DVD version of this film does not have the best video transfer and is slightly grainy and subdued, so the cinematography can't be fully appreciated; the image transfer was significantly better when it was aired on cable, although I haven't seen it on cable in at least five years. Still very worth seeing and perhaps buying.
Although there are better made movies out there as well as in my collection, this is one of the very few movies that -- if not the only one -- I find myself watching at least once every half year or so. I just wish they would air on cable again soon so I could see that better image transfer and record it on DVR.
First a caveat: the villains are a bit too much like caricatures at times. (JT Walsh, always fine, is the exception.) However, though this is the weak part of the film these scenes are watchable, do not halt the momentum and there are some fine moments (like the shooting on the highway near the end).
What really stood out for me though were the scenes between Mantegna and Watts. For anyone who has any familiarity with fate taking a dump on you and irrevocably changing your life for the worse, these 2 characters with their heartbreaking and compelling backstories will really move and involve you.
The writing and directing is top notch in these scenes, and the performances are outstanding. (I've never seen Watts as good even in her more highly praised roles; BTW, I've also never seen her as beautiful and attractive, too). The way the backstories are presented are very realistic, no overdramatics here -- and I really like the fact that there were no flashbacks nor too many details given, only what the characters felt necessary or able to divulge.
This is especially true for Naomi Watts' wheelchair-bound character. We can see how jaded she is from her suffering, but she never explicitly mentions the incident that caused her to be wheelchair-bound, which is how it would be in real life.
I do not say this lightly: these scenes are some of the most poignant, absorbing and moving scenes between two romantic yet damaged characters that I've seen, at least in recent memory.
Also excellent on this film were Kelly Lynch (never seen her better and rarely have I seen a heroin addict better portrayed), the soundtrack which I found haunting and evocative, and the crisp and beautiful camera-work.
Unfortunately, the DVD version of this film does not have the best video transfer and is slightly grainy and subdued, so the cinematography can't be fully appreciated; the image transfer was significantly better when it was aired on cable, although I haven't seen it on cable in at least five years. Still very worth seeing and perhaps buying.
Although there are better made movies out there as well as in my collection, this is one of the very few movies that -- if not the only one -- I find myself watching at least once every half year or so. I just wish they would air on cable again soon so I could see that better image transfer and record it on DVR.