Not the best movie ever made, and it probably won't overwhelm you with its powerful storyline. But take it for what it is, a quirky, off-the-wall caper/romance/black comedy hybrid, and chances are you'll be quite pleasantly surprised. The protagonists are likable, the villains are cartoonish, and in the end the solid acting all around (I never realized what a good actor Danny Aiello can be) made this little low-budget noir almost believable, or at least endearing. And yes, the scenes with Angelina Jolie are on their own worth the price of admission - watch her electrifies the screen with every flick of a emerald-nail-polished finger and every mocking little grin. And you say to yourself, Man this girl is going to be a STAR...Incidentally I think this is probably her best work before 1997's George Wallace, for which she won a Golden Globe. It's also probably the source of her fascination with Barstow...

This is not at all the sort of film I am usually attracted to. The only other film in my experience that I could compare it to would be Tarentino's "Pulp Fiction". It's not as slick, but there is less blood... It was only on the second viewing that I was able to start to appreciate it and not until the shootout at the petrol station that I saw that the film is in fact a comedy on the black side. I think this should have been made apparent earlier in the film to give it a more uniform identity. The desert atmosphere is always attractive and explains the film's rather surrealistic feel.For me the film is original and entertaining and the performances are excellent.

Al is divorced and he has moved from New York to Seattle to Los Angeles (I don't even know why Seattle was mentioned). He makes his living selling cars, though he seems to know some people who are ... less than honest.While Al is eating at Johnie's restaurant with friends Sal and Terry, Elie walks in wearing a skirt so short it should be illegal. Al decides to talk to her and finds out she needs a ride to her mom Julie's place in the Mojave Desert. Al agrees to take her.When they arrive at Julie's trailer (excuse me, 'movable house'), Julie's boyfriend Boyd is there watching TV. Boyd lights his cigarettes with a blowtorch and treats the gentle and sweet Julie like dirt. Elie goes to the Buffalo Chip Saloon to meet boyfriend Kaiser.From there, things get weird. I mean REALLY weird.This is a pretty good movie, with good performances by the leading actors. And plenty of plot twists. But what really makes the movie work is the crazy characters. Such as the tire repairman with the big guns. And then there is the time a man needs a cadaver and two guys hear this and are all too willing to help. One even pulls a gun on someone so the man can have his cadaver right away!Boyd reminded me of Billy Bob Thornton, though maybe that's because I read about him in Life magazine the day I saw the movie. It would be interesting to see what he would have done with the role. Michael Biehn just made him a demented clown, but an entertaining one.I have to mention the camera work with the introduction of Elie. They wanted to make sure we noticed her legs!I wasn't sure whether this was a comedy at first, but by the second half I had to laugh.

i feel compelled to warn others of this monstrosity of a film. it is honestly the worst movie i've ever seen. there is absolutely no point of the movie other than to be strange, but it's all pointless.. it leads up to nothing and following the whole movie is torture, because the filmmakers assume that 1. you care about these ridiculous characters 2. you're finding the whole style of the film charming and endearing. i didn't and i doubt anyone could. this is a waste of film, end of story