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The Salton Sea

2002 · 103 min

A grim, twisty neo-noir that pulls you into a junkie's double life, mixing dread, grief, and sudden violence with a haunting sense of loss.

Directed by
D.J. Caruso
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Tagline
If you're looking for the truth, you've come to the wrong place.
Overview
After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn", becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.

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Directed by
D.J. Caruso
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • revenge
  • identity
  • corruption
  • addiction
Places
  • big city
  • suburbs
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language strong
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror3
Humour3
Realism7
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight7

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Cast

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Details

Genres
crime, drama, mystery, thriller
Directed by
D.J. Caruso
Written by
Tony Gayton
Starring
Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Goldberg, Luis Guzmán, Doug Hutchison, Anthony LaPaglia, Glenn Plummer, Peter Sarsgaard
Music
Thomas Newman
Cinematography
Amir Mokri
Runtime
103 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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