An ex-con tries to go straight but also wants to get back money he's owed for the job that put him in prison. He meets a waitress who's also seen her share of trouble and they start up a tenuous relationship. Then there's a murder and things get complicated. It's noir so the plot isn't the main focus but the mood of the film is consistent and properly downbeat. The characters can't seem to shake the fate that hangs over them.
Acting
Theresa Russell's exhausted waitress energy is devastating
Direction
Pepin commits to the bit—every frame reeks of desperation
Director
Richard Pepin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Richard Pepin directed dozens of PM Entertainment action films in the 90s; this was his stab at 'respectable' indie noir.
Russo and Russell were both 80s/90s staples who'd fallen through the cracks by 2003—casting them as washed-up strivers has accidental meta weight.
US
