I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Disappointment for a huge fan!

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

It is a thriller about a psychology grad who goes with his girlfriend on a trip to write a book about serial killers and is accompanied by a couple that actually includes a serial killer.I am actually pretty surprised the movie bombed at the box office. It is one of the more intelligent thrillers on the topic and also keeps a very terrifying atmosphere.The acting in the movie is also first class. Brad Pitt is doing one of his strongest performances. And very successfully, I was just grossed out looking at Early, I never saw a Brad Pitt in there. Juliette Lewis also does a great performance as this sweet but incredibly dumb white trash girl. Michelle Forbes and David Duchovny don't get as much praise for their work in Kalifornia, which is not very fair. They simply have characters that are not normal people and not having mental issues, and they did it great. The four characters bring a good balance.The idea is pretty interesting. It is comparing the fascination about murder with the reality of it. It looks into the idea what drives us into doing it. What is the difference between them and us. Some republicans seem to think it is about a liberal who "learned a lesson", but it is not, it is simply about complexity of the situation and humans.Again, too bad it bombed, Dominic Sena would probably be able to create more of these movies. I was very well done and always kept one worried. Great filmed scenes and scenery that all contributed to it.

Revisiting Swordfish recently, also directed by Dominic Sena and which I thoroughly enjoyed despite its occasional shortcomings, I read a negative review which suggested that Sena hadn't made a decent movie since Kalifornia and which wondered why that was. As a public school educated Brit living in Los Angeles, I am oddly drawn to movies featuring white trash, trailer parks and all the other paraphernalia of the underbelly of America. The French have the same issue. Paris may be the only place on earth in which a Corvette is actually cool. Back to Kalifornia. I revisited the film the other day and was disappointed. It's not a bad flick. Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis act their socks off and they're well supported by David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes. But therein lies part of the problem. A stronger director would have reined in Lewis and Pitt, allowed for a better balance. As it is, their performances border on the comic. They stay grounded because they're both terrific actors but they sometimes distract from rather than add to the tension. The other problem is the central conceit. We're going on a tour of infamous murder sites... with a murderer. We know he's a psychopathic killer from the start but his companions don't. And that places us firmly in standard horror flick territory. DON'T TAKE THE SHORTCUT THROUGH THE WOODS!! But of course she does. And that's the issue here. It devalues the film. It might have been a much better film without the addition of the tour of murder sites. Less is more, people. Worth watching? Yes, but you'll have to deal with the frustration of missed opportunities. Try Swordfish instead. It's aged rather well.

Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) writes true crime stories. His girlfriend Carrie Laughlin (Michelle Forbes) is an edgy photographer. They consider themselves liberals and decide to drive cross-country visiting crime sites. Sharing the ride to California are criminal type Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) on parole, and his waitress girlfriend Adele (Juliette Lewis).Juliette Lewis is playing her traditional flaky white trash girl. David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes are playing straight characters. Brad Pitt plays the more volatile unstable Early. It's Pitt's performance that stands out. It's his best early work. Lewis' innate innocence actually raises the tension. Everybody does good work here. It's a tense suspenseful thriller that we know will come to no good.

"Kalifornia" is a violent road movie that features two couples who, for different reasons, want to move to California to make a fresh start. The couples come from different social classes and are worlds apart in terms of education and sophistication. These differences and other tensions that exist between them as individuals, create a consistently strained atmosphere which becomes even more intense as they gradually start to learn more about each other.Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) is a psychology graduate who, having written a well-received magazine article about serial killers is given an advance to write a book on the subject. His girlfriend Carrie Laughlin (Michelle Forbes), who's an aspiring photographer, wants to move to California and so they plan to use their cross-country trip to visit famous murder sites to gather material for Brian's book. As they don't have sufficient funds to pay for their trip, Brian places an advertisement on the bulletin board of the local University for anyone who'd like to make the same journey and share the costs.Brian's ad is answered by Early Grayce (Brad Pitt), an unemployed ex-con who's just killed his landlord because he was demanding payment of rent money that was owed to him. When Brian and Michelle go to pick up Early and his girlfriend Adele (Juliette Lewis), Michelle's first impulse is to pull out of the agreement as Early and Adele look impoverished and common. Brian, however, is anxious to get on with the trip and persuades Michelle to put her concerns to one side.Brian is a man who likes to think the best of everyone and believes that murderers are victims of their backgrounds which have effectively made them into killers. He's absolutely fascinated by murderers and enjoys studying their motivations. During the journey to California, he slowly starts to become aware of the real nature of his travelling companions and things turn extremely violent and scary before he discovers why he has such an intense interest in killing and also has to re-think some of his long-held views.Brad Pitt puts an incredible amount of energy and drive into his role as the embodiment of pure evil and is completely convincing as a psychopath who simply does whatever his instincts dictate. Michelle Forbes does a great deal of frowning and scowling as the cold, pretentious Carrie who's a voyeur and can't help being fascinated by things that she also finds repulsive. She's hard and cynical and even her hairstyle is severe! David Duchovny is good as the naive and gullible Brian who learns more about his specialist subject than he could ever have imagined and Juliette Lewis is amazing as the tragic, undereducated young woman with a traumatic background which has left her so damaged that she sees the manipulative Early as being a well-meaning man who's dedicated to protecting her."Kalifornia" is stylishly made, fast moving and beautifully photographed but certain passages are also uncomfortable to watch. Its real strength lies in its characters who make it compelling from start to finish.