Search And Destroy
For those of us who have the utmost appreciation for the most famous part of True Romance that has since come to be known as The Scene, many would be interested to know that Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken actually both appeared in another movie a couple of years later as well. Sadly, the two legends donāt share any screen time together, and the movie itself is one of those quirky mid-90s indies that pretty much slipped through the cracks (despite a very strong cast) and can be only sought out by those who have heard of it through word of mouth. Griffin Dunne (a rising star in the 80s whose career was wrecked after shamelessly kissing Madonnaās ass in the horrendous Whoās That Girl) stars as a debt-ridden fast talker with one failed business venture after another who despite owing the IRS over $130,000, decides to set out at all costs to make a movie based on a book written by a late night TV guru / philosopher (Hopper) which had greatly inspired him. He immediately goes to Hopperās Dallas studio, fights through his slimy personal assistant (Ethan Hawke) and proposes his idea to the man, only to find that Hopper is merely interested in how much money Dunne can offer him up front for the rights. Nonetheless, Dunne hooks up with Hopperās wacky receptionist (Illeana Douglas) and heads to New York to persuade a shady businessman (Walken), whom he had previously met at a party where he had shared an affinity for the book, to jump on board as an investor, only to learn that Walken has taken Hopperās self-help theories a little too seriously and cajoles Dunne to come along with him to raise the money and find his inner self. The film at times comes off a bit abstract, no surprise as it is the one time directorial effort of renowned New York artist David Salle, and goes at such a frenetic beat that sometimes it gets a little too manic for its own good (particularly in the last 30 minutes). The casting is still to be applauded: Dunne carries the film well as a desperate likable sleaze who talks fast and manages to maintain the faƧade sometimes without even knowing it; Hopper gets a few good moments such as when he asks Dunne for his wallet just to see how much cash he carries (and whether or not he should take him seriously); Rosanna Arquette as Dunneās estranged wife is still uniquely sexy as hell despite only being in the film for the first twenty minutes; Douglas pretty much upstages Arquette in the unique sex appeal department, looking like a girl whom at first we shouldnāt find attractive but winning us over with her quirky personality as she tries to push her own low-budget horror script; Hawke mostly plays off of Hopper and / or Dunne during his screen time, but does a good job at playing a smooth asshole; John Turturro comes in late as the only real character I couldnāt wrap my head around, some kind of street connection Walken has who talks in such a rapid-fire slang and whose purpose is never really made clear that his role confuses more than entertains; and Walken himself as the coke-addicted, karaoke-loving Mephistopheles figure steals much of the film even as he stays in basic Walken mode, with his descent into madness in the filmās final act both chilling and exhilarating. In addition we get short bits by Executive Producer Martin Scorsese (as the prickish IRS man) and Dan Hedaya (as a tailor whose only line is āPlease.ā), along with Prison Breakās Robert Knepper as the main character of Hopperās book from which we see excerpts throughout the film. Overall, definitely see this if the cast interests you, but be warned that it is WAY off the beaten trackā¦
7/10