Oliver Stone sure doesn't let you down when it comes to blood-letting in his films, and
U Turn is no exception.
Sean Penn plays Bobby, a man who car breaks down just outside of
Superior, Arizona (which might as well be buttfuck nowheresville as far as Bobby is concerned). He is in the process of transporting money he owes to California, and ends up losing it (to add to the two fingers he had previously lost). This certainly turns out to be very unfortunate for him, and he gets involved with Jake (
Nick Nolte), a local man who asks him to kill his wife (
Jennifer Lopez) for a reward. As Bobby owes the hick car mechanic (
Billy Bob Thornton) money for his car repair, and he has no other means of leaving town, he acquiesces. Of course, as usually happens in films, he falls in love with her, but there is a lot of double crossing and deceit along the way, so you are never sure if she can be trusted. There are plenty of bright colours, flashbacks, sex scenes, symbolism and fast editing, much like Stone used in
Natural Born Killers (but not as well). Of course things do not end up going to plan, but there is plenty of action, as well as the comic turns by Thornton,
Jon Voight (who plays a blind man) and
Joaquin Phoenix (who plays a jealous boyfriend). I would never have recognised Voight or Thornton in their roles, and didn't realise it was them until the credits. Not a brilliant movie by any stretch of the imagination, but still well worth watching (just don't buy it).
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