Movie Review: 'The Hot Spot' Is A Sweaty, Stylish Neo-Noir Worth Revisiting

Upon arriving in a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities – and the local women – after he robs a bank. Don Johnson stars as Harry Madox in director Dennis Hopper's 1990 neo-noir 'The Hot Spot.' A drifter, Harry arrives in a small Texas town and talks his way into a job as a salesman at a used car lot. There, he meets Gloria (Jennifer Connelly), the young and naive woman working the dealership's finance department, and Dolly (Virginia Madsen), the fiery and scheming wife — and the film's femme fatale — of the lot's owner, George (Jerry Hardin). After discovering the lax security at a nearby bank, Harry decides to rob it. Caught between the two women and the suspicions of the local police, Harry soon finds himself tangled in a web of desire, greed, and blackmail that eventually leads to murder. Based on the long-out-of-print novel 'Hell Hath No Fury' by Charles Williams, the film establishes a lecherous, sweat-soaked atmosphere—everything about this small town looks swelteringly hot. Hopper, probably best known for his acting roles and coming off a career resurgence that included David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet,' steamrolls the story forward, creating a captivating world that's difficult to look away from. Johnson is excellent as the no-good antihero. Harry isn't a likable character, but he remains compelling enough to carry the story. Madsen is even better as Dolly. She's electric in the role, keeping the audience guessing about how she's going to contribute to Harry's eventual downfall — because, in this type of film, we know from the outset that nothing is going to end well. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Hot Spot.' It didn't completely catch me off guard — several scenes toward the end are left ambiguous for a while, but I found the eventual revelation fairly predictable. There's also a character played by William Sadler who continually happens to show up at the right time to cause Harry — and other characters — problems, which becomes a little too convenient. Those complaints aside, I found the film enthralling. Radiance Films is issuing the worldwide 4K premiere of the film after several prior high-definition releases, including a recent restoration from Kino Lorber. I have not seen any of those previous releases, so I can only judge the film based on what's presented on this 4K disc. From that perspective, this is an outstanding-looking disc. Picture quality is natural and colorful, with no noticeable dirt or debris. Likewise, the film's audio, presented in an uncompressed mono track, is clear for the most part. Dialogue can sound slightly muddled at times, but these moments are few and never hindered my enjoyment. The included Blu-ray™ houses the set's extra features. Among them are a series of archival interviews with the cast and director, an interview with Nick Dawson discussing Dennis Hopper and the film, a piece featuring Duane Swierczynski on author Charles Williams' source novel, and the film's trailer. The limited-edition set also includes a booklet featuring writing from Elena Lazic and Leslie Byron Pitt, along with an archival interview with Hopper conducted by RJ Smith. Radiance Films has delivered another stellar package with this release. Newcomers and longtime fans alike should find plenty to admire here. Now available on Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD from RADIANCE FILMS 10k 20k 1.5k 2.2k