Lara Flynn Boyle, Peter Dobson, Danny Nucci, Luca Bercovici
Here's a film that tries much too hard. It blasts you with atmosphere, a purposefully goofy film noir plot and irritatingly quirky characters. It's like Pulp Fiction without the violence and with little of the wit. Boyle, the film's heroine, is a hardworking bartender in a Hispanic neighborhood in Los Angeles. Her husband (Bercovici) is a religious zealot who spends his days praying at the local Catholic mission. When she finds out that he has banked a big insurance settlement and isn't sharing the bucks ("Money is the devil's calling card," he lectures her), she enlists a con man (Dobson), who brings in Nucci to help get the cash. The luscious Boyle shows more promise here than in previous film outings, and Nucci displays a doleful sweetness as a leading man. Less effective are Dobson, who seems neither smart nor suave enough for the sharpie he's playing, and Bercovici, who just seems sullen. (R)
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