American Perfekt (1997)

A convoluted little killer-on-the-road movie, with nicely eccentric performances. Scatty Sarah Thomas (Amanda Plummer, also in the similar Freeway) has a skirmish with scary con man Santini (David Thewlis) en route to a meeting with her drop-out sister Alice (Fairuza Balk), and hooks up with creepily calm psychiatrist Jake Nyman (Robert Forster), who has the habit of tossing a coin to make life-or-death decisions. Naturally, several characters die and several others turn out to be seriously insane, but the film's real interest comes from its off-centre dialogue and unpredictable twists. Though the flash-cuts of Balk, in a seriously cool cocked hat, perhaps tip us off that Plummer, as a neurotic who always leaps to the wrong assumption, is adopting the Janet Leigh position in this picture, the ostensible lead's actual exit is a genuine surprise - killed not by either of the madmen but in an accident because Nyman has dumped her in the boot of the car and Alice plays dodg'em with Santini, whose tongue has been torn out (offscreen) by the smooth shrink. Forster, who flashes back to his Medium Cool early days by having a full-frontal nude scene with Plummer, remains plausible well past the point when we realise he has to be a psycho, while the showier Thewlis, a wild card in the American West locales, puts up a strong showing. The cops are represented by wise Paul Sorvino and thick Chris Sarandon, and there are bits from Geoffrey Lewis, Rutanya Alda and Belinda Balaski. Written and directed by Paul Chard.
KIM NEWMAN

First published in this form here.

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