El Cortez (2006)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Stephen Purvis

Writer (WGA):

Chris Haddock (written by)

Release Date:

27 January 2007 (Hungary)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Come to a place where secrets lie.

Plot:

A man just released from a mental institution gets involved in a gold mine scheme while trying to avoid the cops, a wrathful drug dealer, and a sultry femme fatale. |

Plot Keywords:

Neo Noir | Male Full Frontal Nudity | Independent Film

Cast

Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Manny DeSilva
Bruce Weitz	...	Popcorn
Glenn Plummer	...	Jack Clay
Tracy Middendorf	...	Theda
James McDaniel	...	Arnie
Peter Onorati	...	Carlo Russo
Shelley Malil	...	Prison Doctor
David Johann	...	Prison Guard
Robin Adair	...	Cecile
Kathleen LaGue	...	Waitress
Joseph Griffin	...	Frank
Deborah Cresswell	...	Hotel Clerk
Edoardo Ballerini	...	Roy Morrison
Josh Estrada	...	Sam
Pat Crawford Brown	...	Helena

Also Known As:

Three for the Devil (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexuality, some violence and drug content.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA (2006) | Australia:MA | USA:R | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Three-Four Productions LLC

Quotes:

Arnie: Junkie fever. Just think of it like you do Theda. Can't get enough, even when you got her. Theda's in your blood. Dreamland, Manny... You know where that is? You can think things, see things that are real. But they're not real... like a waking nightmare.

Excellent acting in a tightly knit, fast paced film noir

This movie is one of the best I've seen in a long time. The actors all do an excellent job with their characters and the chemistry is definitely there throughout each scene. The setting in Reno is perfect for the whole show of all these character's messed up existences that intertwine so intricately. My only real complaint was that there wasn't really a clear picture of who Manny was before he got to the El Cortez, only a few well placed flashbacks, which left me with questions. I suppose that information was not particularly relevant to the situation that elicited the flashback, so it's no big deal. Through the years I have seen many good movies and read lots of great fiction. This movie is fast paced like so many of its big budget brethren, but unlike many of those big budget films that fall apart at the end, El Cortez keeps you on edge right to the end, like a good page turner novel would. You know the kind, the ones you read through the night to find out what happens at the end. Don't miss this one.