Red Rock West

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Red Rock West

R

1993

1h 38m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

When unemployed ex-marine Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) stumbles into a bar in Red Rock, Wyo., the owner, Wayne (J.T. Walsh), mistakes him for a hired killer and offers him $10,000 to kill his wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael plays along, taking half the money up front, then tells Suzanne what her husband is planning. She seduces Michael and proposes that he kill her husband instead. While he weighs his options, the real killer (Dennis Hopper) turns up looking for his money.

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Critics Consensus

Red Rock West is a hidden neo-noir gem with some delightful cracks in its surface -- and an opportunity to see Lara Flynn Boyle, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, and J.T. Walsh go toe-to-toe in all their early '90s glory.

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Christopher Harris

Globe and Mail

A neat and prickly little thriller, dressed up in cowboy noir clothing.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 8, 2025

Full Review

Julie Lang

Village Voice

The film itself wallows seductively in the twisted, consumptive murk of America's small towns.

Jul 16, 2025

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Larry Worth

New York Post

John Dahl's best trick is adeptly blending suspense and comedy, all keyed to split-second timing.

Jul 16, 2025

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

The plot twists and turns deliciously, and Dahl's deft direction strikes a clever balance between knowing humour and genuine suspense.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 31, 2025

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Joe Leydon

Houston Post (Texas)

Red Rock West is a solid, well-crafted and consistently involving thriller.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 19, 2025

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Peter Keough

Boston Phoenix

Red Rock West doesn't break any new ground, but it is a supremely confident, blackly comic, oddly humane addition to the noir genre.

Jul 16, 2025

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tucker s

Absolutely fantastic movie in every respect. Five stars all day long

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/25

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revolver.0 8

absolute pure comedy

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/03/25

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Glen H

One of the best modern neo-noirs. Dahl is simply a master of the genre. From the outcast hero who finds himself in a tough strange situation out of desperation to the femme fatale who is also desperate to escape her own strange situation. It's just an excellent film and the cast is impeccable, including Cage in a subdued believable role.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

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Daniel C. M

A escapist neo-noir with great direction, though not really much else.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Richard G. R

One of my favorite low budget independent films. When it was released on video and cable in 1993, I was attending the University of North Texas studying filmmaking, and this film along with Carl Franklin and Billy Bob Thornton's "One False Move" in 1992 became prime examples of the type of films (Neo-Noir) that spoke to me. Nicolas Cage gives a great performance as Michael, the down and out drifter mistaken for a hitman (forgoing his usual over the top acting style). Director John Dahl carved out a nice niche in the low budget neo-noir genre with his three films (Kiss Me Again-1989, Red Rock West-1993 and The Last Seduction-1994).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

Full Review

Ari V

Decent little movie that might've in part inspired Stone's better Uturn.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/25

Full Review

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John Dahl

Director

Nicolas Cage

Michael Williams

Dennis Hopper

Lyle from Dallas

Lara Flynn Boyle

Suzanne Brown aka Ann McCord

Timothy Carhart

Deputy Matt Greytack

J.T. Walsh

Wayne Brown aka Kevin McCord

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Synopsis

When unemployed ex-marine Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) stumbles into a bar in Red Rock, Wyo., the owner, Wayne (J.T. Walsh), mistakes him for a hired killer and offers him $10,000 to kill his wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle). Michael plays along, taking half the money up front, then tells Suzanne what her husband is planning. She seduces Michael and proposes that he kill her husband instead. While he weighs his options, the real killer (Dennis Hopper) turns up looking for his money.

Director: John Dahl
Producer: Steve Golin, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Screenwriter: Rick Dahl, John Dahl
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Video, Capital Filmes
Production Co: Red Rock Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 16, 1993, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 27, 2015
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround

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