Critic's Grade: B

Unflinching but somewhat unimpressive, "The Salton Sea" is a thriller that, in its own conventional method of storytelling and execution, manages to be wholly unconventional as the sum of its parts begins to take shape. The story of a man seeking revenge for the murder of his wife is hardly something to give kudos for originality (last year's "Memento" comes to mind), but director D.J. Caruso gives the piece such a scathing visual flare that pulls out all the stops and goes straight for the throat. In this manner, it succeeds without flaw.

Val Kilmer stars as Danny Parker, the underworld persona of civilian Tom Van Allen, who seeks to find the men responsible for the death of his wife in a series of events seen as flashback that take place at the Salton Sea. In present day, Parker spends his time in what can only be described as a drug-induced hallucination, shooting up with groups of people by day and night, stopping only to make contact with his police partners, played by Anthony LaPaglia and Doug Hutchinson.

One afternoon, during a meeting in a church, Allen is told by his partners that the operation has been jeopardized, and to get lost for a while. Allen, unable to stray from his internal rage, makes it a point to keep going with his mission, and quickly becomes involved with a series of underdogs, junkies, men of power, all within the confines of situations and occurences that make Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" look like a tea party.

To reveal more about the plot is to ruin the experience for those reading this. This is that special type of film that requires a strict adherence of attention, not necessarily a blink-and-miss experience, but one that tickles the thought processes with the inclusion of numerous characters and subplots that initially appear to have little bearing on the overall effect; only later does one realize the importance of such vital clues. The screenplay by Tony Gayton does have a certain amount of drawbacks that stem from unoriginality and boredom; more than once I found myself looking at my watch wondering how many minutes were left, and there are quite a few instances where the works of Tarantino and Christopher Nolan are painfully evident.

Those flaws aside, I enjoyed the piece as a complete trip-out, a masterful blend of internal monologues, character-driven action, and brilliantly-composed images that shock in all the right ways. Kilmer's acting it top-notch, and his character is one haunted by the fact that his revenge has done little to calm the emotional storm that grows ever-stronger; in reality, it's more of a stimulant than a deterrent. The action setpieces and scenes of intensity are shot with such an astute raw display of sheer degradation and filth, and yet the images aren't so much shocking as they are mesmerizing. We're drawn into the experience out of a wickedly morbid fascination for the film's visual bravura, so much so that at many points, plot elements tend to take a backseat to the appearance.

The film is not for everyone: I don't think many will warm to the subplot involving a group of junkies plotting to steal Bob Hope's stool sample and sell it on E-Bay. But for what it's worth, "The Salton Sea" is a film that didn't waste my time with lousy (or non-existent) plot structures, or make the mistake of Tarantino's films by losing faith in story and relying solely on the shock factor. This effort is shocking, but it has a backbone, and guts to go with it.

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