Truth or Consequences, N.M.

Kiefer Sutherland’s directorial debut, Truth or Consequences, N.M. follows three criminals (Vincent Gallo’s Raymond, Mykelti Williamson’s Marcus, and Sutherland’s Curtis) as they’re forced to go on the run after a drug heist goes sideways – with the narrative detailing the trio’s efforts, along with Raymond’s girlfriend (Kim Dickens’ Addy) and two hostages (Kevin Pollak’s Gordon and Grace Phillips’ Donna), at escaping from the law and unloading their lucrative loot. There’s not a whole lot contained within Truth or Consequences, N.M. that one hasn’t seen many, many times before, with the film, especially, coming off as a fairly blatant riff on Quentin Tarantino’s early films in terms of its characters and dialogue. (It’s a vibe that’s confirmed virtually from the get-go, as, for example, a character delivers a quirky speech about a lucky quarter.) Sutherland’s less-than-vibrant direction doesn’t exactly alleviate the been-there-done-that atmosphere, and the film, in its early stages, suffers from a filmed-play feel that’s compounded by a needlessly deliberate pace. And although the movie boasts a handful of compelling interludes in its first half (eg Sutherland’s Curtis explains the difference between good guys and bad guys to Gordon), Truth or Consequences, N.M. doesn’t really achieve anything resembling momentum until somewhere around the halfway mark – after which point the film morphs into a relatively entertaining caper that’s been infused with a number of unexpectedly compelling sequences. (Rod Steiger and Martin Sheen deliver strong, engrossing late-in-the-game work as a hot-tempered mob boss and quietly sinister hitman, respectively.) The generic shoot-out that closes the picture is indicative of scripter Brad Mirman’s less-than-innovative approach to the material, and it’s ultimately not terribly difficult to discern why Truth or Consequences, N.M. has all but been forgotten in the years since its 1997 release.

**1/2 out of ****