Product: Dance With the Devil [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 3.0
what's red and white and goes 60 mph?
being a fan of the collaborative works of barry gifford and david lynch, i definitely came to this movie with certain expectations. i'm sorry to report that this movie was, for the most part, a disappointment. few hold up to the genius of lynch, so i realized early on that i had to let that idea go and just deal with the movie in it's own terms.there were definitely elements that i liked. for one, i enjoyed the exploration of the dynamic between perdita and romeo and their captives. it was interesting to watch them get inside the kids' heads and completely tear them apart. i'd be interested in finding out what happened to them after everything was all over!!visually, the movie was amazing. romeo is a villain that will accompany me in more than a few nightmares in the weeks to come. this movie definitely had the bonnie and clyde / mickey and mallory thing going for it as well, and who doesn't love a star-crossed love tale, right?anyway, there were areas that severely lacked. the characters were caricatures, the plot was cliche, and the score undermined the movie. the things the people would say would make me cringe at how trite and ridiculous they sounded. everything always worked out a little too conveniently, even for a traditional action movie. gandolfini's hardened cop with the dry sense of humor, santos's hammy gangster, and romeo's studly sorcerer are a few glaring examples.i'd recommend watching this movie if you come across it, but don't make any special effort. this is one where you're gonna want to stick to the book, perdita durango. better yet, read it along with wild at heart and the wild life of sailor and lula, and you'll find yourself in a world where perdita slithers through the story like romeo's snake skin boots.