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U Turn

U Turn

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1997

When a desperate man’s car breaks down in a bizarre desert town while evading vengeful bookies, he becomes entangled in a dangerous love triangle. Caught between a married couple, he’s faced with deadly contracts to kill them both.

Movie details

U Turn

“Sex. Murder. Betrayal. Everything that makes life worth living.”

1997 Crime · Drama · Thriller 2h 5m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

When a desperate man’s car breaks down in a bizarre desert town while evading vengeful bookies, he becomes entangled in a dangerous love triangle. Caught between a married couple, he’s faced with deadly contracts to kill them both.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over U Turn?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Fargo

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The Last Stop in Yuma County

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They Drive by Night

They Drive by Night

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Joe and Paul Fabrini are Wildcat, or independent, truck drivers who have their own small one-truck business. The Fabrini boys constantly battle distributors, rivals and loan collectors, while trying to make a success of their transport company.

The Rover

The Rover

Crime · 2014

Ten years after a severe economic collapse in the western world, lawlessness reigns and life is cheap. Eric is a lone drifter, and his car is his only possession. When a gang steals it, Eric comes across the injured Rey, left behind by the car thieves. The pair form an unlikely and uneasy alliance.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

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Hell or High Water

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A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's farm in West Texas.

Appaloosa

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Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.

The Hot Spot

The Hot Spot

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Out of the Past

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The peaceful life of a gas station owner is disrupted when a man from his past arrives in town and forces him to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Oliver Stone

Written by

John Ridley

Sean Penn

Sean Penn

Bobby Cooper

Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte

Jake McKenna

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Grace McKenna

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix

Toby N. Tucker

Claire Danes

Claire Danes

Jenny

Powers Boothe

Powers Boothe

Sheriff Virgil Potter

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton

Darrell

Court is in session

Put U Turn on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.