The Salton Sea – Review

Opening on a jazz playing man sitting in a burning room, his trumpet plays a sad tune while he narrates that he is Thomas Van Allen, or is he Danny Parker? You decide. This movie is another good example of the best experience being the viewer going in without knowing anything. Just in case the drug aspect turns you off from the story, give the movie at least 20 minutes to get rolling before you bail, you may wind up liking it after all.

Before being set aflame, the narrator quickly deviates into a tangent backstory: he announces the coming of methamphetamines, a brief history about its creation and its current standing in culture. Now we are semi-caught up as we see our boy Danny, complete with a haunting back tattoo of the grim reaper in front of an aging multi-branched desert tree.

The crank that he and his tweaker buddies are taking keep them in time-warps, unsure of how many days it has been. Three days, or is it four? Another drug movie?? Well… again, don’t give up the story just yet, wait ‘til you see the whole thing. Keep your eyes open, there may be something hidden right in front of your eyes.

This movie definitely has a lot more going for it than it presents at its surface. What may seem like a total turn off at first is just be laying the groundwork for a fairly good story. Yes, there are some usual druggie antics in this movie, but there is a reason and purpose in this story that is driven by a core hidden motivation.

Acting is pretty great and many characters are entertaining, with some providing strong comedic value. The cast balances the silliness of overindulging druggies with the reality of the dark nature of humanity and the story finds a rhythm after just a few minutes. Entertainment value is high, and following the winding story to its conclusion is rewarding.

I don’t mean to impose, but I am the ocean.