The Salton Sea

8/10

A very enjoyable film with phenomenal performances around. Sarsgaard was dynamic as always, and D'Onofrio is completely explosive. The score did a wonderful job of fitting the bleak tone. The plot itself was mostly excellent. It's full of twists and double-crosses, but doesn't become too convuluted like most films of this nature do. It does a good job of letting the audience catch up instead of throwing character after character after death after rat at you. Unforunately, the film was pretty one-dimensional and it seemed like it didn't know what it wanted to be in terms of genre. One second it was full of cops, rats and gunfire. The next it was a sentimental drama about a man trying to survive after watching his wife die. Then it was a revenge story about him destroying those who murdered his wife. Then it was a gimmicky comedy full of quirky, speedheads. Then it was a dark, noir with a trumpet player in a dark and dangerous world. I wish it would have picked one and stayed with it. I also wasn't a big fan of the trumpet playing scenes. They felt unecessary and really drew away from the plot. However they were nice to sound and I do understand what Caruso was trying to do with them, I just don't think he really succeeded.