TROUBLE IN MIND is a heavily atmospheric neo-noir from Alan Rudolph that is quite intriguing and interesting to watch. The story, if one can call it that, is about an ex-cop, a coffee shop owner and a young couple who are each trying to make their own way in RainCity, a fictionalized/alternate universe version of Seattle. Like the name implies, there is a lot of rain and there is a pervasive sense of melancholy that hangs over it like a cloud. The people who live there all have their pasts, but what really drives them is the hope that they will make it and overcome their circumstances. That, I believe, is at the heart of what this movie represents. In many film noirs past, the general thematic tone was one of fate and destiny, and it being out of human control. Here, in a similarly constructed world, we have people trying to wrest control back into their own hands. Overall, I thought the movie was rather good. Kris Kristofferson gives a great performance as the ex-cop with a checkered past, and Genevieve Bujold, Lori Singer and Keith Carradine give equally decent performances as the coffee shop owner and the young couple, respectively. Ample time is also spent with each character, so that you get to know and sympathize with them (although, to a lesser, degree with Genevieve Bujold). The effect that the city has on a person is seen most explicitly with Coop, played by Keith Carradine, as his appearance changes considerably over the course of the film, and he gets deeper and deeper into the underworld. Also worth mentioning is Divine, who takes a supporting role as the top gangster in RainCity. This is probably his best performance, and he brings shades of flamboyance and menace to it. He is only in a few scenes, but his presence is felt over the entire film and he makes the most of his limited screen time. The movie also has a fantastic jazz score and some great songs sung by Marianne Faithful. But despite how great the film is, there are a few drawbacks. The biggest one is a climactic shoot-out which comes out of nowhere and seemed poorly choreographed. There's also some spotty acting from people in minor roles. Overall, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first heard about this, but I was pleasantly surprised. Alan Rudolph managed to create a neo-noir which doesn't wallow in misery, and which maintained its own unique style. I'd recommend checking this one out, especially if you're into the noir genre. You probably won't be disappointed.

It's hard to decipher the motivation behind this attractive but often labored retro-noir potboiler, which in appearance (and appearances are all the film has to offer) falls uncomfortably somewhere in between an homage to and a satire of classic 1940s crime dramas. The characters are all familiar from other Alan Rudolph daydreams: the laconic lone-wolf hero (Kris Kristofferson, as a low-life ex cop); the tough-but-sensible cookie with a kind streak (coffee waitress Geneviève Bujold); and Rudolph regular Keith Carradine as the innocent bystander, chasing success into the gutters of Rain City (a.k.a. Seattle). But the dialogue, mood, and the story itself are self-consciously artificial, owing more to mid 1980s music-video hyperbole than to any Golden Age Hollywood film style, and the plot doesn't so much develop as congeal. Highlights include Carradine's scene-by-scene metamorphosis into something resembling Ziggy Stardust, and a brief but startling moment when a villain is drowned in a parked car filled with water.

While it was very stylish and quirky, with some wonderful characters and a fine cast to portray them. Unfortunately the "hero" of the story is a total douche bag that rapes 1 woman and then sets out to break up a family and run off with the woman who's half his age, at least. Found it very hard to pull for this disgusting human being. In the end, while I did enjoy much of it, it left me feeling very disappointed.