New on Blu-ray this week is 'Kalifornia'. Brad Pitt stars, alongside Juliette Lewis, David Duchovney and Michelle Forbes. The plot is a stretch, but as good an excuse as any to unleash Pitt's portayal of po' white trash maniac 'Early Grayce' upon the unsuspecting highway to hell. A creepy road movie (before Lewis rode shotgun in 'Natural Born Killers'), but one that solidified Pitt's rise as an actor playing unsavory roles. Duchovney, a writer researching a book on serial killers, offers a ride share to parolee Pitt on a cross country trip to California. For good measure, the respective girlfriends are along for the ride.
The movie has some hilarious moments (a dinner scene with Pitt). A prerequisite I suppose for a two hour film fraught with murder. Lewis is a child-like possession Pitt picks up along the way on his crash course with infamy. Duchovney and Forbes, both grizzled veterans of New York City's art snob scene plan on visiting the sites of famous murders on the way to the golden state. Forbes in particular, is excellent. She provides a strong presence and matches Pitt's hopped-up hillbilly character step for step. Duchovney, while adequate is more the stereotypical wimpy liberal than anything else.
If you're in the mood for a blood-soaked ride in a decent old Lincoln with suicide doors, buy-in. If not, take a detour and look for the hard to find 'Rain People' (American Zoetrope, 1969) from Francis Ford Coppola. Simply one of the finest, obscure road films of all time.
