This is a bad imitation of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" complete with almost backward story order (something like scenes #2,#5,#1,#3,#6,#4), and it is weighed down by unlikely dialogue with too many self-references to cinematic conventions.I was expecting more because so many people liked this movie, but the very things that some liked or that only slightly bruised the product for others, are major peeves for me. I did not care for the self- consciousness of the dialogue, plot or camera work.The P.I. who learned his trade from a book is an annoying gimmick, as is the surveilling detective as a metaphor for guys stalking women. I can only say in its favor that this movie has several good performances and gave work to some of my favorites including Robert Forster ("Jackie Brown") in cameo roles.

"I didn't know I was doing film noir, I thought they were detective stories with low lighting!" Marie Windsor I have a neo-noir you can't refuse: Too Late. For a title vibrating with despair like that of The Big Sleep, In a Lonely Place, The Long Goodbye, and A Touch of Evil, Too Late reeks of a dark, desperate, disorienting world where a soulful and soulless private detective named Mel Sampson (John Hawkes) searches for meaning among L.A.'s damned passengers. Many of those souls are dames, femme fatals if you will, beautiful in a cheap way but deeper emotionally than you'd expect and fraught with danger for anyone who cares about them.Shot in 35 mm Techniscope or 2-perf with five 20-minute uncut chapters, Too Late is bound to be a classic take on the detective genre memorable for such hard-boiled shamuses as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. References to directors like Alan Rudolph and Robert Altman, not to mention Quentin Tarantino, certify first-time feature writer and director Dennis Hauck's goal to participate in the pleasantly depressive genre.Tired detective Sampson searches for a pretty young stripper, Dorothy (Crystal Reed). and eventually her murderer, now and then showing his long hair and strength but just as vulnerable as his biblical name suggests. As for her, well, dare I speculate she was searching for some rainbow's end? She was witty and vulnerable, "lost" in Elysian Park's Radio Hill of Los Angeles while encountering two drug-dealing thugs (Dash Mihok, Rider Strong) and a garrulous park ranger (Brett Jacobsen), all of whom could have as easily played in Pulp Fiction given their penchant for witty talk laced with cinematic references.Just as memorable and just as noir-naughty are Robert Forster's wealthy strip-club owner, Gordy Lyons; his dangerously desperate wife, Janet (Vail Bloom); and Dorothy's former stripper grandmother, played by Joanna Cassidy, who appeared in the cult classic Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, referenced here no doubt to geeks' glee.Although I've not mentioned much plot in this review, you get the idea that various fringey L. A. lost-soul types are the interest in this noir homage, at least to my nostalgic, crime-porned, cinema-drenched sensibility."One difference between film noir and more straightforward crime pictures is that noir is more open to human flaws and likes to embed them in twisty plot lines." Roger Ebert

It was an amazing experience. It's a narrative told in a very nonlinear style. The first thing I thought of was Tarantino, but it's very not Tarantino, as it's not heavy on Trivial dialog, it's very to the point and counts on the emotion of these well designed characters.characters well done that come alive with great actors. Lead by John Hawkes the actors all had amazing chemistry with each other. I was surprised by how many actors I actually knew on this small film. Like Rider Strong from Boy meets World and Robert Forester, to name just two. It's really worth it to catch it on a screen showing it in 35mm. The camera work and the cinematography add so much to the personality of the film.Pure enjoyment, highly recommended.

Greetings again from the darkness. The first feature film from writer/director Dennis Hauck has a number of elements that are appealing to movie lovers on the lookout for something a bit outside the box. It's the type of film that would be a festival favorite, as it provides no shortage of "talking points" for discussion afterwards.Of course, casting John Hawkes is always a good start. Here he plays a Private Investigator named Sampson. The story is presented in 5 segments – each filmed in one extended shot. Oh, and it's not presented in sequential order, so some assembly is required. The real end to the story is not the same as the ending of the movie, and the beginning of the story is actually in the middle of the movie. Confused yet? Well a loss of equilibrium is what makes this one so much fun to watch. Characters and story lines are intertwined - some accidentally, some secretly, and some surprisingly.Hawkes appears in each of the five segments, and sprinkled throughout you will find such recognizable faces as Robert Forster, Jeff Fahey, Natalie Zea, Joanna Cassidy, Crystal Reed, Dash Mihok, Rider Strong, Vail Bloom, Sydney Tamilia Poitier and singer Sally Jaye. A strip club, the Hollywood hills, a Park Ranger, a suicide, and multiple murders all are key pieces to the puzzle … and none are presented exactly as we would expect.With an unpolished 1970's look and feel, the film offers a touch of Tarantino (including some of the actors who have worked with him), but mostly the vibe is refreshingly throwback. Even the music … Joe Tex, Cowboy Junkies, etc … is a bit offbeat, and of course, any movie that references Genevieve Bujold and Choose Me deserves a special place in my heart. It may not be the typically structured PI murder mystery that we have come to expect, but an unusual approach and the performance of Hawkes, makes this one to see.