Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

hyped garbage

A different way of telling a story

I saw this film when it first came out. It has taken me years to track it down again (I recalled it being named Murder At The Sunset Hotel). I loved it back then and with some of the plot bending twists I wanted to see it again to get a better grasp of things. Yes, it does indeed leave you confused in a few scenes but it is engaging throughout. both visually and thru its dialogue and unique & intricate plot. The feel is gritty yet sleek. Ugly yet beautiful. It leaves you with a taste in your mouth that you wonder is it pleasant or not. Spoiler: Pay attention to the very first dialogue exchange between the main characters.

The movie was an attempt at film noir and while it succeeded visually, it failed story-wise.For most of the film, the viewer is too confused, particularly in two of the scenes where time and space seem to totally change, and one of the main characters (played by Sherilyn Fenn) has no idea what is going on. We don't either. The film also is too talky. It desperately needs a bit more action.On the plus side, the colors in here are nice and the characters are strangely reminiscent of the ones you would see in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" television series (in which Fenn also starred.) Fenn, by the way, is easy on this male's eyes!!The 1950s lingo and references were fun (Davy Crockett cap, '50s products such as 20-mule team borax, beatniks, etc.).All in all, however, the best part of this film was the title.

A few eye-filling bikini shots of Sherilyn Fenn are not reason enough to sit through this self-conscious, forced, artificial, illogical film noir "homage". Roughly half the dialogue is gibberish in desperate need of translation; perhaps the characters were inventing a new form of space language or something. It's one of those rare films where absolutely NOTHING works, and after about 20 minutes you'll be ready to give up on it. (*)

Sherilyn Fenn shines (as she always does) in this off beat dark comedy about black mail, amnesia, and misguided love. It has sharp, quick-witted dialogue. Strange plot twists. Great cinematography. Great choice of cast and crew. It's one of the most watched movies in my video collection and will continue to be...