Wrong Turn at Tahoe
Tags: revenge, murder, violence, flashback

Plot synopsis:
Joshua and his boss, Vincent, are driving to a hospital. Both have been shot and are in pain. Joshua thinks back to his childhood, when his father was shot in front of his eyes.
In a flashback, Joshua and his partner, Mickey, visit people that owe money to Vincent. They encounter a crazy druggie who tells them that a small-time drug dealer named Frankie Tahoe wants to kill Vincent. Joshua and Mickey inform Vincent, and the trio intimidate a guy who works for Tahoe into telling them where he can be found. They find Tahoe at a nightclub. During a talk, Tahoe insults the religion of Joshua and Vincent, which they hold dear, and Vincent beats Tahoe to death with a baseball bat. The trio dump the body in a landfill. While doing this, Vincent reveals that Mickey and Vincent's wife have been having an affair. Vincent then kills Mickey.
While Joshua and Vincent are having breakfast, Joshua tells his boss that he has become weary of the violence and wants to retire. Vincent admits that he has violent outbursts but insists that Joshua owes him his life. Angered, Vincent says that Joshua cannot retire. He leaves to go home, where he discovers two men watching his house. While confronting them, Joshua appears. The men tell Vincent that they have been ordered to deliver him to Nino, a powerful crime boss. When Nino calls his men, Vincent answers the cellphone. Vincent and Joshua get in the car and are driven to Nino's house.
After Nino taunts Vincent with a choice of restitution methods for killing Tahoe, all of them expensive, Vincent rejects every option. Nino is insulted and walks away. Vincent and Joshua leave. Upon arriving back at his house, Vincent finds that his wife has been brutally murdered. Vincent attempts to give Joshua $50,000 as severance and tells him to leave the city. Joshua refuses and says that he will not retire while Nino is still alive. They wait until night and return to Nino's house to seek vengeance. While Joshua takes the downstairs, fighting his way through many of Nino's henchmen, Vincent goes upstairs and finds Nino, who has donned a bullet-proof vest and is waiting for him, sawed-off shotgun in hand. The fight is prolonged; Vincent is hit but survives, and Nino dies in a large pool of blood.
Meanwhile, Joshua engages in a hand-to-hand fight with one of Nino's men and finally strangles him, only to have another appear. As this man is about to slice Joshua's throat, Vincent shows up and shoots him, but the man does not die right away. Joshua identifies the wounded man as the one who killed Vincent's wife. Vincent uses the man's knife to eviscerate him. While the two leave the house, Nino's wife appears. She and Joshua exchange fire and both are hit. The wife dies, but Joshua, who has been hit in the stomach, is able to walk away.
Back in the present, Vincent is driving the car and Joshua is in the back seat. At that point, Joshua remembers that it was Vincent who murdered his father. Joshua places a handgun to the back of Vincent's head. Vincent tells Joshua that he is too loyal to kill his own boss. The scene fades to black, leaving it unresolved as to whether Joshua pulls the trigger.

Review: If you have kept an eye on Cuba Gooding Jr.'s career over the past few years, you probably know he's been churning out awful direct-to-DVD movies after being branded box office poison.
Having seen several of these movies, I initially had no plans to see "Wrong Turn At Tahoe".
As for Gooding, he is for once believable in his role, successfully showing a hard edge for his character.
Miguel Ferrer does indeed hold the screen as a hard man living by a set of questionable principles, but Cuba Gooding is no slouch as the right hand man approaching a personal crossroads in life.
Cuba Gooding Jr. excels in this violent crime thriller....
Some great performances, plenty of violence and a pretty strong plot all add up to an entertaining watch (if you like that kind of thing).
I'll tell you more of my thoughts after the following summary (summary haters please wait in the car with Joshua; he'll take you for a ride if you ask him nicely).Joshua is the number one guy to Vincent, a medium sized drug lord and crime boss on the East coast of the United States.
Of course there is a lot more to tell but I'm not going to spoil it for you.This is a very dark and a very violent film with some great performances.
I thought Cuba Gooding Jr. was excellent as the brooding Joshua who has a dark secret he has been carrying since childhood; in fact it's the best performance I've seen from him in quite a while.
Miguel Ferrer plays the part of the, sometimes psychotic, crime boss Vincent perfectly and Harvey Keitel is also excellent, as ever, as Nino.It's a pretty well made film which, although the budget was obviously pretty small still manages to excite and enthral.
So, if you like a good crime drama and you're not bothered too much by some rather graphic violence, then this one's definitely recommended otherwise, I would give it a miss.My score: 6.5/10.
This film not for kiddies or chix but a good time and really, for the budget I heard this was made for?
Very, very good overall production, filming, staging, etc.
Call me a product of the ADD age, but it's not very often these days that I'll actually sit through an entire movie without at least fast forwarding through some parts (you know, like the de rigeur musical montage in romantic comedies).
And when I saw Cuba Gooding's name in the opening credits, I seriously considered putting an end to the movie and to my misery right there and then (I still have nightmares about his and Christian Slater's disastrous last effort at movie-making).
And yet, as the movie developed, I found myself drawn into the plot and the characters.
All in all, I'd say this movie was every bit as good as The Departed, minus the star cast and director..
EXTERIOR: NIGHT INSIDE CAR The opening is much like the opening of RESERVOIR DOGS, which starts with a wounded guy in the back of a car.This revenge mob hit film is reminiscent of PRIME CUT, (Lee Marvin) and THE EVIL THAT MEN DO, (Charlie Bronson) and about a dozen mobster revenge films where a lower echelon mobster seeks justice against the mobster kingpin for killing a family member or other unforgivable act.But, I really enjoyed this thriller because of the relationship between Vincent and Joshua.Didn't think Vincent needed to be a paranoid tho, and the scene showing his wife's affair should not have been cut out of the movie.I agree with others, that this dark, relationship thriller, turns into a Jackie Chan martial art duke out...so it jumps out of style.
Despite some murky editing and script confusion, the mutual loyalty between Joshua and Vincent could have been stronger...too many confusing moments.EXTERIOR: DAY OUTSIDE VINCENT'S HOUSECar is outside with two hit men waiting for Vincent to come out of the house.
And, great supporting characters in this overall good, engaging drama.
Small time gangster takes on Big time gangster the story has been down countless times before, but when its done well as here, makes for a good watch.
Small budget and reflected in a fairly low profile cast, CG-Jr and Ferrer along with Keitel all make sound convincing performances.
The violence is brutal and the characters harsh but convincing, certainly seen worse big budget examples of the genre getting their shot on the big screen.
Don't expect anything ground breaking plot-wise but fans of the gangster flick wont be disappointed with the gritty realism, slick action sequences and unobtrusive soundtrack..
Miguel Ferrer certainly commanded attention and, in my opinion, was a better overall performance, but Cuba pulled off his character well -a loyal, hardened, right-hand man to Miguel "Vincent".While it is more of a typical gangster style flick, it does offer something a little different; which is what I think makes this movie work.I would recommend this movie on a rainy day or if someone asked about it, but I wouldn't call someone to tell them to go pick it up...
Possibly good enough for the big screen, but certainly not a let down for DVD..
WRONG TURN AT TAHOE is a straightforward low budget crime thriller boasting a decent cast, lots of action and incident, and a familiar but well-worked storyline.
It's about a small time crook who accidentally bumps off the wrong person and subsequently finds himself the subject of a vendetta by a big shot crime boss.Such story lines are ten a penny, but WRONG TURN AT TAHOE does well with the material by focusing on the nuts and bolts action of the piece.
Plus, the casting of the underrated Miguel Ferrer (ROBOCOP) in a lead role is an inspired one, as this actor gets far too little screen time given his undeniable talent.
Okay, Cuba Gooding Jr. is acceptable at best, but Harvey Keitel has fun with a small but grandstanding role..
The only reason I watched the movie were the comments in this site- "the return of Cuba?", "What?
A direct-to-DVD movie with Cuba Gooding Jr. that's actually GOOD?" and so on.
A direct-to-DVD movie with Cuba Gooding Jr. that's actually GOOD?" and so on.
I want to save you from making the same mistake as I did (watching the movie), that is why I'm writing this comment.
The plot of the movie is straight forward, it starts and there are no surprises to the end (just shooting and killing).
It's not even a good action movie.
The movie is really waste of time, so if you decide to watch it remember- I have warned you!!!
Wrong Turn At Tahoe has a script that should have been given the royal treatment; it's wise, brutal, thought provoking and very violent, with many sets of morals clashing against each other in true crime genre style.
It didn't get a huge budget or a lot of marketing, but what it did get was a remarkably good cast of actors who really give the written word it's justice, telling a age old story dangerous people who inhabit the crime ridden frays of both society and cinema.
Cuba plays Joshua, a low level mafia enforcer who works for Vincent (Miguel Ferrer), a ruthless mid level mobster who runs his operations with an OCD iron fist.
When a weaselly informant tells them that local drug runner Frankie Tahoe (Noel Gugliemi, reliably scary) has it in for them, Vincent brashly retaliates first by viciously killing him.
Frankie was an employee of Nino (Harvey Keitel) that most powerful crime boss on the west coast and not a man to cross.
The writing is superb, especially for Gooding, Keitel and Ferrer, a vicious triangle indeed, all at the top of their game and then some.
Johnny Messner is great as Gooding's cohort who can't keep his mouth shut, and watch for Mike Starr, Leonor Varela, Paul Sampson and Louis Mandylor too.
With a great cast how could a film go wrong?
The majority of the acting and cinematography was also good, but the foundation of a film is the script.
Solid Gangster Action Movie.
I normally bypass anything featuring Cuba Gooding Jr. Maybe I'm still scarred from Pearl Harbor (the movie, I don't claim to have been at the attack).
I had no issues with Cuba Gooding Jr. Keitel provided the least from a performance perspective, but he was good enough not to ruin it for the rest of the cast.
I watched plenty of movies this week and out of them, I think this is the best of the bunch.The setup was good and it followed through rather nicely.The story flowed well and there was not an over use of hard language or violence where there didn't need to be.Of all the gangster movies I watched, this is one of the better ones.What I really liked was that the film didn't take place in New York, Chicago, L.A. or Miami.It also takes place in winter and not everybody lives in the largest of homes or has the latest fashions or has poor vocabulary skills.The entire structure is nicely constructed and is a worthwhile viewing.The Scorpion and the Frog story made total sense and brought back some memories of someone who used to tell me that same story - and in this movie, it made total sense.Nice job to all..
A gruesome film is "Wrong Turn at Tahoe".
A gruesome film is the 2009 crime thriller, "Wrong Turn at Tahoe".
The actors include Cuba Gooding Jr., Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Keitel, Alex Menses, Leonor Varela, Michael Sean Tighe, Noel Guglemi, Johnny Messner, Reed McColm, Mike Star, Louis Mandylor, John Cenatiempo, M.
Wrong Turn At Tahoe is the kind of film people watch, because they see it's streaming.
Compared to some of the other garbage that comes up while scrolling, this film actually seemed promising, but aside from a few interesting characters it wasn't.
Joshua (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is the best middle man in the game, nothing gets past him, so when he hears that local drug dealer, Frankie Tahoe, has been threatening to kill his boss, he passes the information along.
It's always great to see Harvey Kaitel playing a gangster, he seems to fit the role better than anyone else, and I wouldn't be surprised if one day it came out that he was the boss of a mob family.
Aside from Kaitel and the mystery surrounding who Joshua is, this film was nothing more than a lot of shooting, bodies, and F words.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, mafia movies may always be cool and popular, but it takes a lot more than F bombs and bullets to make a good film.
We've all seen films like Wrong Turn At Tahoe, there is a lot of arguing, a lot of shooting, and in the end, what was the point of any of it?.
Cuba shines, and this movie is a solid success..
(Credit IMDb) A small-time crime boss kills a drug dealer without realizing that the drug dealer works for the biggest crime boss in the countryWrong Turn at Tahoe could possibly be a potentially much-needed turning point in Cuba's falling career.
This movie reeks of class, and ranks as one of the better mobster flicks.
I was really surprised a film this solid was stuck going DTV, I've seen plenty of Theatrical movies that are worse then this one go to theaters, that shouldn't have.
Cuba Gooding is excellent in his role.
I've been depressed and disappointed with many of his DTV films, except the solid Line Watch, so needless to say I am thrilled with his effort here.
Miguel Ferrer is fantastic, and adds class to every movie he's in.
Screen time precious, performance just great.
This is better then a lot of Mobster films that went to theaters.
The bigger-name actors in this film are even a little better.
Its instructive to see how much better Mike Starr is used in this film compared to Black Dynamite.The primary difference is the script and the courage of the director.
Wrong Turn had a 6-million dollar budget and went straight to DVD for reasons I cannot fathom.
So be it, this was still pretty good, with some great moments.
Not sure why Khalfoun is not doing more-- he sure did a great job with this.The quality of the acting was so good, I am amazed they could get this cast for such a low budget.
Seeing this in HD would be great.I really don't know why critics panned this-- maybe it was the straight-to-DVD aspect and they never watched it, they just assumed it would be bad.
Its not The Departed, but its way better than Black Dynamite.The biggest mystery to me is why screenwriter Eddie Nickerson only did this one flick, and why people are not beating down his door for more of the same.
A Good Story with Some Excellent Performances.
"Vincent" (Miguel Ferrer) is a relatively minor crime boss who is fortunate to have a man like "Joshua" (Cuba Gooding Jr.) looking out for his interests.
So when Joshua learns that a drug dealer has plans to kill Vincent he relays this information to his boss and they set out to take care of the problem once and for all.
Unfortunately, what they don't know is that the drug dealer just happens to work for "Nino" (Harvey Keitel) who is the biggest crime lord on the East Coast and he doesn't appreciate having one of his men knocked off.
Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this film encapsulated a good story with some excellent performances without expending an unnecessary amount of time in the process.
I especially liked the performance of Cuba Gooding Jr. who seemed perfectly cast for this particular role.
I took a chance with this film after as it advertised itself as a gangland crime drama and Harvey Keitel was part of the cast.
Only a fairly decent film.Cuba Gooding Jr stars as a "right hand man" to smalltime hoodlum Miguel Ferrer who is caught up in a personal war with Mafia kingpin Harvey Keitel after killing one of his drug dealers.
Things get messy when Ferrer's wife is brutally murdered as retaliation which sets a revenge plot for the rest of the film.
All the way through it was a rather slow-paced bore-fest full of stereotypical "gangster dialogue and clichés" witnessed in other far superior films.Gooding Jr is wooden, Keitel is wasted although Ferrer does himself justice with his character.It's not a total bomb, far from it, but rather a great storyline not brought to its potential and that's the frustrating part.Approach with caution..
unusual gangster movie with great performances.
I enjoy movies that breath class, take time to tell the story, and are a little off beat.
I saw this movie by accident, and from the get go I was glued to the screen.Only after watching the movie I learned what a relief this must have been for Cuba Gooding Jr.!
I hadn't seen movies with him in it for quite some time, so I was surprised to read all the fails he had produced.
It is well written, directed and acted by all members of this great little enterprise.Cuba plays Joshua, the right hand man of a local gangster Vincent, played by Ferrer, who is excellent by the way!
Yes, like I said, amazing performance!) he tells the story of a man who knows his place in the world, accepts the circumstances he works in and the resulting violence this automatically brings with it.He knows no mercy, is tough, street smart and loyal to his boss.
During the movie you feel the fragility of Vincent when Joshua tells him he wants out.
You feel and see the guard dog quality of Joshua that gives strength to his boss, who collapses when he finds out that Nino (big ass gangster played by Keitel, who is on automatic pilot IMO)had his wife killed after Vincent refused to play by his rules.
Joshua turns 180 on his wish to leave and helps his boss to get even.It sounds like a simple gangster flick, but the way the story is told, slow paced but never boring, the shoot outs and killings that somehow feel more real than I have ever seen (although I have no personal experience how it really does look like, thank God) make the movie so believable, so intense and so overwhelming, that I sat on the edge of my seat the entire time.It is a gritty movie, real and in your face at a pace that gives you time to take it all in.
There are so many movie clichés in this flick you could make a drinking game out if it.
I tend to turn my brain off for action movies, but this one was beyond brain dead.
I saw this before I saw Hardwired, another straight to DVD film Cuba Gooding, Jr. released.
Despite Hardwired receiving virtually no good reviews, I thought it was better than Wrong Turn at Tahoe.First, the Story.
Third, the Action.The Story-Franck Khalfoun gives us a laughably boring and unoriginal film.
The uninspired and dull script achieves absolutely nothing.The Acting-Cuba Gooding, Jr. is dull and apathetic toward his character.
Luckily, Miguel Ferrer and Harvey Keitel give some inspiration, but it's not enough to effectively save the boring plot.
They do what they can with their lines, and that measures out Cuba's terrible performance.The Action-I watched the "Making-Of" extra on the special features, which was interesting, and explained to the viewer how the action sequences were done.
However, the documentary was more interesting than the action scenes themselves.I wouldn't watch Wrong Turn At Tahoe again, and I wonder why Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Keitel said yes to the script.
But Wrong Turn At Tahoe isn't going to help any careers.