THE HOT SPOT (1990)

written by Nora Tyson and Charles Williams

directed by Dennis Hopper

starring: Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly, Charles Martin Smith, William Sadler, and Jack Nance

In addition to being a legitimate excuse to see the exceedingly voluptuous Virginia Madsen (Gotham, Slamdance, and Third Degree Burn) and the impressively well-endowed Jennifer Connelly (Career Opportunities, Mulholland Falls, The Rocketeer) bare-ass naked, this movie, based on Charles Williams' 1950s pulp fiction novel; Hell Hath No Fury, is a competent and qualified addition to the cinema's library of film noirs.

Don Johnson (A Boy and His Dog, Dead Bang, and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man), before his career crashed and burned after the international success of the NBC television series; Miami Vice, and before it was resurrected by the astonishing success of the CBS television series; Nash Bridges, stars as Harry Madox, a handsome and sweet-talking drifter looking for his next grift, in this sexy and sweaty tale of lust, greed, and revenge - the basic elements of any good crime drama.

Set in the fictional town of Landers, somewhere in West Texas, Harry arrives one hot and sweltering day and easily cons his way into a job as a used car salesman.  Always with an eye for the ladies, Harry meets the stunningly beautiful Gloria Harper, played by Jennifer Connelly, who also works for Harshaw Motors, as the bookkeeper, and Dolly Harshaw, played by Virginia Madsen, who is the sluttish wife of Harry's new boss -- and all within the first twenty-four hours of his arrival. 

And while Mrs. Harshaw takes a shine to Harry, Harry takes a shine to Gloria.  But Gloria has a secret.  A dark secret that involves nude photos, lesbianism, and a local deadbeat/blackmailer, Frank Sutton, played by William Sadler (Die Hard 2 and Trespass) in another, of a series of, villainous roles.

As much as Harry is drawn to the innocence of sweet Gloria, he cannot resist the wiles of the whorish Mrs. Harshaw, who lures him to her house late one night, while her husband is away for a weekend of hunting, and succumbs to her sexual charms.

Meanwhile, Harry also can't resist the golden opportunity to rob the Landers State Bank.  It seems that a local fire, during the middle of the day, is cause for everyone in town to stop what they are doing and rush to the scene, including the bank president, Julian Ward, played by Jack Nance (Eraserhead and Twin Peaks), which gives Harry the motive and the opportunity to set fire to a nearby abandoned building, clean out the bank of all of its cash, and, unexpectedly, rescue a homeless man from the very same building he had torched. 

The upshot is that Harry becomes a hero. But not for long.  Mrs. Harshaw, unhappy with Harry's designs on Gloria, and Gloria's obvious and increasing interest in Harry, convinces the sleazy Sutton to finger him for the robbery, long enough to put him in the "hot seat" -- that is, until she provides his alibi to the police.

Now that Mrs. Harshaw has her hooks deep into Harry, she lets him know she always gets what she wants and what she wants is Harry.  She also tells him that her husband, due to a delicate heart condition, is not long for this world and that perhaps Harry could provide the impetus for his third and final heart attack.

But Harry, too late for his own good, decides that he wants no part of her murderous intents and no part of her.  He has decided that what he really wants is Gloria, and after tying up some loose ends, which include framing Frank Sutton for the bank robbery, he plans on heading to the Caribbean -- with Gloria and the stolen cash.

Needless to say, Harry's plans go awry, as the ruthless and cunning Mrs. Harshaw turns the tables on Harry and sets into motion a series of events that, in the end, prompts Harry to regret the day he pulled off the highway that led him to Landers, Texas and into the arms, as well as, the bed of the dangerously seductive Mrs. Dolly Harshaw.

Directed by the actor, Dennis Hopper (Colors, The Last Movie, and Out of the Blue) this virtually overlooked and unheralded minor masterpiece, which contains a soundtrack of original music composed by the legendary Jack Nitzsche, featuring Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, and Taj Mahal, reeks of sex.  You can feel it in your loins and smell it on your fingers. 

If The Hot Spot is a morality tale, it should serve as a reminder that "sex" is dualistic - it can be a beautiful moment of intimacy between two people and it can also be a salacious act, with a price tag that far exceeds it's value.

"Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."  Words to remember.  Words to live by.


[originally published in VMag - January 1998]