U Turn, directed by Oliver Stone, running time: 125’, 1997
Oliver Stone has made himself a name in the history of world cinema for making spectacular and important films such as “Platoon,” “JFK,” “Wall Street” or “Natural Born Killers.” In his work, the director very often raises key problems of politics, history or economy. He has also depicted global conflicts: the wars in Vietnam and Salvador, the crisis of American mass media or corruption and hypocrisy of the financial circles. From time to time, Stone deals with less spectacular subject matters, focusing on individuals like Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn), the leading character of “U Turn.” A would-be tennis player, Cooper is a cheat mixed up with shady dealings. When we first meet him, he is on his way to pay off a debt to a gangster in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, forcing him to drive to the nearest town, Superior. From this moment on, we are faced a bloody and thick film noir intrigue. The town is inhabited by a collection of dubious characters: the local femme fatale (Jennifer Lopez), her jealous husband (Nick Nolte) and cynical sheriff (Powers Boothe). The film features brilliant supporting performances by actors such as Liv Tyler, Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes and Billy Bob Thorton.