Reel Critics

Jim Erwin

“The Salton Sea” is a richly layered story that mixes mystery with

some sick humor and is a lot of fun. Danny Parker (Val Kilmer), a tweaker

methamphetamine freak, is full of contradictions. He can easily spend the

good part of a week so stoned that he doesn’t know how many days he’s

been awake, or whether it’s day or night. After he buys more drugs to

continue his bender, he calls some friends in the police department and

snitches on the dealer who sold him his score. Danny seems more

intelligent than most of the tweakers, but if he’s that smart he should

know better than to be a snitch -- or to use crystal meth.

This movie is all about learning who Danny Parker really is and what

made him get involved in the world of “gack” (crystal meth). Danny has

flashbacks to a time when he was a promising jazz musician with a

beautiful wife. We know he loved her deeply, but the story takes its time

about revealing why they aren’t together and why Danny is choosing to

live in such darkness.

His fellow tweakers are the kind of brainless wonders you laugh at to

feel better about yourself. Hearing them plan a major heist is a riot.

Don’t let anyone tell you any details about this part of the story, it’s

just too funny. What’s nice is the tweakers have their own human

vulnerabilities. One of them doesn’t know what the letters JFK mean, or

who JFK was, and he thanks Danny for not laughing at him when he asks to

have it explained. The script is full of small moments that make the

characters feel real and sincere.

The movie slowly builds toward a drug deal that Danny hopes will give

him the cash to leave town. He plans to work with Pooh Bear (Vincent

D’Onofrio), a dealer who has snorted so much gack that he no longer has a

nose. Pooh is a sadistic redneck who likes himself and enjoys his own

sense of humor. Considering that Pooh’s past includes using a hacksaw to

remove a person’s brain, dealing with him seems to show questionable

judgment. Pooh is suspicious by nature and very suspicious of Danny.

The stylized cinematography creates textures that reveal a lot about

Danny’s darkness, and the places where the light shines in. At times, the

movie gets a little too cute. Kilmer’s performance is solid, and he

easily carries things through the few weak points. Kilmer gets plenty of

help from a great cast -- look for the cameo by Meat Loaf. You’ll want to

see this one before people can tell you too much and spoil the fun. It’s

a real hoot and well worth the nine bucks.

* JIM ERWIN, 39, is a technical writer and computer trainer.