I saw this film while on vacation this summer. It was late at night and I didn't feel like sleeping, so I tuned on. To my surprise, there was Lou Diamond Phillips, an actor I always liked, playing a very uncharacteristic part of a hotel clerk who had psychological issues. There were quite a few hot scenes involving Lou and his smoking hot partner. The "love triangle" was also interesting, but Glenn Plummer's character was so loathsome that I couldn't wait for him to be whacked.I think this was a rather enjoyable film, there was lots of suspense and acting was solid. Phillips has never given a bad performance, despite not being fully appreciated as a drama actor. Here he is very solid and proves his range as actor. There was some violence here as well, but none of it is overwhelming. The plot kinda pulls you in and makes you follow it to the end. Not a great film, but a rather good one. 7 stars.

To like a film like this, you have to like two things: Lou Diamond Phillips, and noir. This interesting piece of neo noir is very satisfying for those who like to watch something unfold slowly and try to figure out who is conning who.Manny (Lou Diamond Phillips, whom I have liked since La Bamba), is a slow, maybe Autistic, desk clerk in a sleazy hotel. He has just been released from an institution for the criminally insane for a murder he committed. He seems to be getting along well on his medication and appears to be a happy joe.Then all kinds of people start coming into his life: Popcorn (Bruce Weitz) with his gold mine, Jack (Glenn Plummer) the junkie with a hot girlfriend (Tracy Middendorf), and a cop (James McDaniel) who is making life tough for him.Who among this strange collection is conning whom. What is everyone's motivation? Who is aligned with whom? These are questions that get answered slowly as Manny is drawn into this nightmare.You have to figure that Manny will manage to come out OK, he just has to. But, will he? And, who will be there with him? Ah, it was satisfying unraveling this puzzle, which kept you guessing until the end.

Better than 70% of Diamond's work over the past 10 years. The story is plenty nifty, but is lost in a sea averageness. The pacing of this movie I found to be horrendous. The plot twists were slightly contrived and, while not bad, a little tedious. I could have done without that BS ending, as well. Was not satisfying.I think Lou gave a good performance, as did the young blond. In fact, the cast, along with the seedy lighting and atmosphere of the film, were its only real saving graces. Some of the dialog was rather solid, as well. Wish the script would have been up to snuff.But since I am a Diamond fan from back in the day, I will take it easy on the film. It is a tolerable film, and could have been worse. I hope Lou keeps striving to choose better roles.If it's free, check it out.

Neither really a thriller, or mystery, nor clever enough in its plot, twists, or script El Cortez is a pleasant enough diversion but lacks any real distinction.The plot is nothing you haven't seen before, the characters are OK, but really below par. The fault may lie with Lou Diamond Philips. He is not a character actor in the mould of Edward Norton and the way he plays Manny is too off-balance for the material. The fact that he plays the ex-com hotel desk clerk like Edward Norton would have just doesn't ring true somehow.The rest of the cast are good, especially James McDaniel as the cop, but the material is somehow flat. The real fault lies in the way it is shot: too light, and bright. I would have liked the lighting and shooting to have been less TV movie mode and more film noir: more shadows, and less claustrophobic. I felt Stephen Purvis wanted it to be a small tale, which is right, but would have liked to have built more atmosphere. A soundtrack would have helped enormously.There is nothing spectacularly wrong with El Cortez it just is what it is: a small theatrical thriller that would work well as a stage piece and fails to translate its convictions and menace to film. Overall, worth watching if you like the genre, but don't expect too much.