STRAIGHT TO HELL
1987 Alex Cox-Director
Starring: Sy Richardson, Joe Strummer, Dick Rude, Courtney Love
A story of blood, money, guns, coffee, and sexual tension.
This is a surreal parody of spaghetti westerns. The protagonists are 3 hit men with a pregnant woman, all on the lamb heading to Mexico. Their car breaks down in the middle of a desert. They hide a briefcase of money from a bank they robbed after fleeing their failed hit, find a a town from the old west. They have to navigate the inhabitants of the town, the MCMahon clan. A vile bunch of interrelated coffee addicts that think of nothing but family, murder and hot dogs.
I love the characters. The salsa y ketchup song is catchy. Dick rude is hysterical. The plethora of side characters are fascinating. And this movie is infinitely quotable.
I saw this first on video in 87 or 88. My roommate Bill and I put it in heavy rotation soon after. I’ve never got tired of it. This led me to more Alex Cox films. The rewards continue as I learned more about indie film.
I can’t pinpoint how this movie influenced me other than solidifying that I love dark humor and stream of conscious storytelling. Nothing needs to make sense as long as the narrative flows. Maybe a love of Alex Cox films.
© 2021, mikegallagherart. All rights reserved.
