U-Turn (1997)
69%RT Audience Score: 62%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
U-Turn is a lurid, stylish lark that boasts striking moments but lacks the focus and weight of Oliver Stone best work
U-Turn is like a wild ride on a rollercoaster that you’re not sure you want to be on, but once you’re strapped in, you can’t help but enjoy the twists and turns. It’s a crime thriller that’s equal parts sexy and lowdown, with a cast of characters that are as dysfunctional as they are entertaining. Penn, Lopez, Nolte, and Thornton all give standout performances, but it’s Stone’s hypnotic acid-trip-of-the-soul wizardry that really steals the show. It’s not a movie for everyone, but if you’re willing to take the ride, you won’t be disappointed.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Florence, Arizona, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 1998
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Claire Danes, Joaquin Phoenix, directed by Oliver Stone, written by John Ridley, crime, mystery, thriller, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ted Anthony, Owen Gleiberman, Todd McCarthy, Geoff Andrew, Rick Groen, Kenneth Turan, David Nusair, Matt Brunson, Blake French, Rob Gonsalves, Donald J Levit, produced by Dan Halsted, Clayton Townsend, R rating, two-bit criminal, attractive woman, murder, sociopolitical significance, hypnotic acid-trip-of-the-soul wizardry, crime of passion, John Huston impression, mechanic from hell, feast for the senses, sinful pleasures, bumpy ride, thought-provoking, top horror movies, MCU movies ranked, renewed & cancelled TV shows, best Netflix series
Worldwide gross: $6,682,098
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,455,971
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,892
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,358,339
US/Canada gross: $6,682,098
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,455,971
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,554
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,730,440
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $5,089,761
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,101
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $19,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $35,417,536
Production budget ranking: 1,049
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,072,343
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$42,033,909
ROI to date (est.): -77%
ROI ranking: 1,860
Nick Nolte – Jake McKenna
Jennifer Lopez – Grace McKenna
Powers Boothe – Sheriff Potter
Claire Danes – Jenny
Joaquin Phoenix – Toby N. Tucker
Director – Oliver Stone
Producer – Dan Halsted, Clayton Townsend
Writer – John Ridley
Director(s)
Oliver Stone
Writer(s)
John Ridley
Producer(s)
Dan Halsted, Clayton Townsend
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (20)
The best art of any age typically comes from the dysfunctional artist, and U-Turn is just that — Stone’s oddball glimpse into a shadow America that no one wants to believe exists but that undoubtedly does.
January 18, 2018
Ted Anthony
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
As the first Oliver Stone movie to gleefully dispense with sociopolitical significance, U-Turn is an overdue event, a chance for Stone to apply his hypnotic acid-trip-of-the-soul wizardry to something sexy and lowdown.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
The stylistic fun Stone has in dramatizing this crime of passion thoroughly revitalizes the well-worked genre.
March 26, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Penn turns in a crisp, unfussy comic performance, Lopez vamps like a scorpion in heat, Nolte sustains a pretty good John Huston impression, and Thornton is mighty peculiar as the mechanic from hell.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s a disappointing ride.
April 25, 2003 | Rating: 2/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
It’s so empty emotionally it’s difficult to see what the point is, unless it’s the celebration of emptiness, an aim that has become so familiar recently it hardly seems worth the trouble everyone has gone to.
February 21, 2001
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Filmmaker Oliver Stone has infused U Turn with exactly the sort of over-the-top, less-than-subtle vibe one might’ve anticipated…
April 11, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
With the exception of 1988’s lacerating Talk Radio, U Turn might be the most forgotten film in Oliver Stone’s canon — a shame, since it offers sinful pleasures for those willing to take the ride.
April 8, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
It’s a feast for the senses, as long as you have a strong stomach.
August 4, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Blake French
Filmcritic.com
This long, strange trip is fun but aimless.
July 25, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Viewers who don’t need depth and can ignore technique overkill along with social critique nonsense, should enjoy the bumpy ride offered by ‘U Turn.’
February 11, 2007
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
One of Stone’s best narrative, and thought-provoking, efforts to date.
April 9, 2005 | Rating: A-
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews…
Plot
When Bobby’s car breaks down in the desert while on the run from some of the bookies who have already taken two of his fingers, he becomes trapped in the nearby small town where the people are stranger than anyone he’s encountered. After becoming involved with a (unbeknownst to him) young married woman, her husband hires Bobby to kill her. Later, she hires Bobby to kill the husband.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Powers Boothe plays Sheriff Potter in U-Turn.
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