Written by: Steve Barancik
Directed by: John Dahl
Starring: Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, Bill Pullman, Dean Norris, JT Walsh
Rated: R
Plot
A devious femme fatale steals her husband's drug money and hides in a small town where she meets the perfect dupe for her next scheme.
Verdict
Fiorentino plays a fun character. We rarely root for someone that is clearly bad. She lies, cheats, and steals her way through the movie. A typical Hollywood movie would turn the tables on someone so bad, but this movie defies convention, and that's what makes it so unique.
Watch it.
Review
It's biggest strength is defying convention. Wendy is just no nonsense, cutting right through social norms. She's hard edged and out for herself. She has a plan even if we don't know it.
She leave her husband Clay after he slaps her. He tries to make amends, but she takes the money he just acquired though illicit means to pay off a loan shark.
Wendy is adept at adapting. She stops at a bar and meets Mike. She knows from the start she can use him. Mike falls for her, but even he is repulsed at how immoral she is. She tricks Mike into a murder for hire scheme that she will use to erase any loose ends.
Wendy is constantly under estimated by the characters in the movie and viewers to a degree. We rarely see characters go to the lengths she does. Even if characters approach a level of ice near Wendy, it's a male character. Even then most movies give the villain a big monologue towards the end so the good guy can foil the plans and justice will win. This movie scoffs at that convention.
If you wonder what else director John Dahl has done, he wrote and directed Red Rock West (read my review).
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