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.
A thriller with an edge -- which is to say that it doesn't follow the stale, standard, connect-the-dots storyline which has become commonplace in movies that explore the seamy underbelly of the criminal world.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
21 May 2002
fresh:
If there's no art here, it's still a good yarn -- which is nothing to sneeze at these days.
– Sam Allis,
Boston Globe,
12 Jul 2002
fresh:
For what it is, it's well-done -- a stylized-beyond-reality derivation of Natural Born Killers, perhaps. Or a more gonzo version of Go or Blow. But the heart has been stylized out of it.
– Steven Rosen,
Denver Post,
12 Jul 2002
rotten:
Sacrificing content for style, Caruso gives us a lot to look at but little to ponder.
– Robert K. Elder,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jul 2002
fresh:
Repellent yet intriguing, brutal yet funny, wicked yet strangely compassionate, The Salton Sea is more about mixing genres and styles than illuminating a credible reality.