The Hot Spot is directed by Dennis Hopper and adapted to screenplay from the Charles Williams novel, "Hell Hath No Fury", by Nona Tyson and Charles Williams. It stars Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly, Charles Martin Smith and William Sadler. Music is by Jack Nitzsche and cinematography by Ueli Steiger.Dennis Hopper loves film noir, he has been in some bona fide classic neo-noirs, whilst also turning his hand to directing that style of film making. The Hot Spot may not be a total success as such, but it is a superb effort that lovers of all things noir can feast upon. Story pitches Johnson as drifter Harry Madox, who lands in a Southern state town, bluffs his way into a car salesman job, plots a robbery, and then finds that two local ladies - of very different qualities - are about to change his life forever...I found my level and I'm living it.Hopper turns in a honest and faithful tribute to the first wave of film noir, but armed with the fact this was his era of film making relaxations, he gets to sex things up. Blending noir with erotic thriller conventions allows Hopper to pile on plenty of sizzle, which comes in the form of Madsen, who as Dolly Harshaw gives neo-noir one of its finest femme fatales. Overtly sexual and on the surface a ditz, an easy lay, it's only when this part of noirville shows its hand - in true old school fashion - does the character become memorable still further.On the flip side is Connelly's more straight laced Gloria Harper, who Madox coverts, yet there's baggage there as well (is she virginal?), baggage which adds more potency and trickery to this smouldering hot spot hot-pot. The girls are great, but so is Johnson, he broods and has a raw masculinity most fitting for this type of role. It's a shame he didn't do more neo-noir because he has the tools for the trade. Hopper brings sweat, sweaty close ups and noirville fans, while the photography and musical accompaniments are superbly compliant to the required atmosphere.The editing is a let down, so many scenes needed to have the linger factor, but it's not enough to kill this fine slice of noir pie. A sexy guy in over his head, devious machinations from both sexes, robbery, arson, deaths, ignorance and stupidity, The Hot Spot is far from being boring! The deliberate slow burn pacing has alienated the casual "crime/erotic thriller" film fan, but for those who love and know their noir, the fireplace cinders approach is a joy because the pay off delivers all that we hoped. 8/10

Drifter Harry Madox (Don Johnson) hustles an used car salesman job from owner George Harshaw in a small desert oasis Texas town. Gloria Harper (Jennifer Connelly) is the secretary and a damsel in distress paying the lascivious Frank Sutton (William Sadler). George's wife Dolly (Virginia Madsen) is the flirtatious femme fatale who starts an affair with Harry. He sets a fire as a distraction to rob the local bank. He ends up as a hero rescuing a guy from the infernal and Gloria falls for him. The police suspects him as a blind customer fingers him for the robbery but Dolly provides him with a false alibi.Director Dennis Hopper is making a kind of old time pulpy sexy noir thriller. He doesn't really succeed. Johnson and Madsen have those sweaty broad performances. Connelly is absolutely alluring as the ingénue. The slow lethargic pace takes its toll. The atmospheric can only carry it so far.

This is an humble movie with a limited scope but the characters are original, interesting and are played by a strong cast : sure, they are not big names from Hollywood but they have proved their talent in Lynch movies, in Lucasfilm, in famous TV shows (« X files » and « Miami vice »). Young Jen is great as a junior girl in love, victim of blackmailing. It's the first time that I watch Don Jonhson : he has a sure class and impressive physical presence, thus he is really better than I would have imagined. To enhance the pleasure, the directing is not candid : As Hoper is also a painter, it's easy to see that he made efforts to frame the picture. Be aware that the title is accurate because in this lost small town, women sensuality is high but then, it's not outrageous or gratuitous because it's at the heart of the story.

Reformed rebel director Dennis Hopper's neo-noir thriller is something of an anachronism: a fairly typical example of the genre updated with oral sex and graphic gunshot wounds. Heartthrob Don Johnson plays the usual drifter, wandering into a small Texas town and finding himself pulled in one direction by the lovely Jennifer Connelly and pushed in another by sultry nymphomaniac Virginia Madsen. The script wants to show the age-old conflict between good and evil, but it's a hard sell, especially when even the supposedly virtuous Connelly comes across like a sexpot fashion model. Likewise the entire film adds up to little more than a lot of self-conscious posturing, and with so many plot twists borrowed from so many other (better) film noirs this example limps on at least twenty minutes too long before the anti-climactic ending.