Where has Keifer Sutherland been for the past 10 years, I havn't heard boo from him up until now... but if he's planning a comeback, this is one hell of a way to do it. Keifer directs himself in his best performance in a long, long time. In Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Keifer plays Curtis, who, along with his recently released buddy Raymond (Vincent Gallo), Ray's girlfriend Addy (Kim Dickens), and Marcus (Mykelti Williamson) try to scam Ray's drug dealing ex-boss out of all his dope. Curtis, however, has an itchy trigger finger and shoots the guy, as well as the (wired) undercover cop sitting next to him.
Of course now the cops are after them, and a kick-ass shoot-out ensues. Things get complicated as the quartet try and escape from the cops, taking hostage a picknicking couple (played by Kevin Pollack and Grace Phillips) in their R.V. After a couple of close calls, a couple vehicle changes, and a run/shoot out with a Las Vegas mob boss (Rod Steiger) the sextet head to Ray's brother's house in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
It all culminates when the DEA, the Mob and the six meet up with one another. If you thought the shoot out at the beginning was something, this tops any I think I've ever seen before.
Sure it may sound like a) another Tarantino rip-off, or b) a mindless action flick, but this film is far from cloning or brain-dead crap. For example, there's a terriffic love story between Ray and Addy, there intense moments when it seems that Marcus (an undercover DEA agent) will be found out by the others, and then there's hostaged couple, Pollack who thinks he wants to be living the dangerous life like Curtis, and Phillips who re-examines her relationship with him. And of course, there's Curtis who's pretty much insane. Alongside it all, there's great minor characters like Ray's old cellmate who lets the six take refuge in his house for a few days, the drug boss who they originally kill, the DEA agents who follow them, and the mob enforcer (played by Martin Sheen).
While Sutherland's direction of the visuals is nothing spectacular, it is still quite competent and tells the story well enough. The acting itself is on another level. Sutherland did a fantastic job of elciting amazing performances, specifically from Pollack and Williams (who's character is almost like playing a dual role). The script and the storytelling are amazing. This is one of the best movies of '97, really.