Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997)

Quick Synopsis

Fresh out of prison, Raymond Lembecke joins a group of small-time criminals for a drug heist that quickly spirals into murder, kidnapping, and a desperate run from both the law and the mob. With his girlfriend Addy unwillingly along for the ride, Raymond searches for a way out as his increasingly unhinged partners leave a trail of bodies behind them.

Quick Review

I gotta say, this movie kind of slaps. I was not expecting it to be anything particularly noteworthy, but oooooh boy am I glad I was wrong.

In his directorial debut, Kiefer Sutherland is absolutely CHEWING the scenery, looking like Load/ReLoad-era James Hetfield and playing an increasingly unhinged villain who seems ready to kill anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. Then you’ve got Vincent Gallo, Kevin Pollak, Martin Sheen and, really, the entire cast just absolutely killing it.

A lot of reviews lambast the movie for being Tarantino-esque, both in its action and dialogue, but this was 1997. That was the cool thing to emulate, and honestly, I don’t think the movie loses any points for it. It takes that very specific brand of ’90s crime cinema and just runs with it.

Sutherland is completely unhinged from the start, while Gallo settles comfortably into what might be his natural habitat: the misunderstood criminal. Damaged, volatile and vulnerable, Raymond feels like he belongs alongside Gallo’s characters in Palookaville (1995), The Funeral (1996), Buffalo ’66 (1998) and, eventually, Essential Killing (2010).

Once described as From Dusk Till Dawn without the vampires (spoilers, sorry), Truth or Consequences, N.M. absolutely delivers. You’ve got crazy shootouts, awesome ’90s music, Martin Sheen playing a terrifying big bad, and an episode of The Twilight Zone somehow becoming the foundation for an entire life philosophy.

What more could you want?

Highly recommended.

Trivia

– Christian Slater was considered for the leading role, which is kind of funny, because the amount of times I thought of True Romance while watching this was abnormally high.

– This is indeed the same Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where serial killer David Parker Ray, AKA the Toy-Box Killer, tortured multiple women.

– Donald Sutherland, Kiefer’s father, was to play Sir, the Martin Sheen character, but was unable to due to scheduling conflicts with another movie.

Availability Today

Truth or Consequences, N.M. can be found streaming via Prime, Google Play/Youtube, and Fandango at Home/Vudu.

It is also available on DVD – sadly, it was never promoted up to Blu-Ray or UHD.