John Dahl: The Most-Watched Director No One Knows About
Kill Me Again, Red Rock West, and The Last Seduction
You’ve watched John Dahl’s work, if you watch premium streamer series. Going back to Breaking Bad and more currently with Billions, the man has put his stamp on dozens of TV shows in the last 15 years. And many people saw the film Rounders, which was the catalyst for poker becoming a TV staple for a few years, and the inspiration for thousands of idiots with $10,000 to go to the World Series of Poker and go all-in trying to bluff a pro. But few people other than the dorkiest film nerds (me) know his name.
John Dahl’s earliest credits are for Kool and the Gang videos back in the ‘80s. I was born in 1969, so I’m squarely of the MTV generation. In their early days, shooting videos were a garbage gig, but it opened the media for experimental filmmakers to get a foot in the door of the industry. Dahl’s credits come a little later, when videos were the driving force for making stars in the music biz—a great video could elevate a bad song that flopped on the radio. I’m not sure how he broke in to the video world, but it’s where he started and how he paid his rent while he was putting together his first three features that are all bangers.
John Dahl took the best parts of film noir and pulp fiction novels and updated them for the times. Most importantly, the plots change and twist based on active choices the characters make. A weird coincidence or unlucky break may begin the movement of the story, but the development of the plotlines rely on the character constantly making choices, scene-by-scene. When I rewatch these films, it’s remarkable to me how many ways that the film may have resolved differently had these choices worked out another way. So many films now rely on one choice that sets off a long series of action events, such as the John Wick films.
Kill Me Again
Actors don’t have to be good, but they must, at least be watchable—enter Val Kilmer and Michael Madsen. Honestly, I can’t tell if they’re good or not, but definitely they’re fun to watch. In Kill Me Again, Kilmer and Madsen face off against each other, and it may be the best performance that either of them gave. Shortly after this film, Kilmer plays Jim Morrison in The Doors and disappears so far up his own ass that he is never really seen again. Madsen steals the show in Reservoir Dogs, and too his credit, probably only got Mr. Blonde-type scripts for the rest of his life.
Red Rock West
Want my personal vote for the most underrated film of the ‘90s? It’s this gem—a back-and-forth thriller in which you’re just screaming at the screen for the protagonist to leave town, once and for all. Nicolas Cage is in the lead role, with Lara Flynn Boyle just opposite, and Dennis Hopper in a supporting role. This film was dead after the festival circuit, then had a brief run as an arthouse darling—I saw this in a soldout screening at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.
Again, Dahl got a hold of Nicolas Cage right before he broke big with his The Rock/Con Air/FaceOff years, when he still brought something unique to each character that CageHeads love from films like Raising Arizona and The Vampire’s Kiss, and gave us a lead role while he still had “that guy” status with most of the public.
Dennis Hopper’s post-Apocalypse Now career is all over the place, mostly with smaller character actor type roles playing drunk dads (Rumble Fish, The Pick-up Artist, Hoosiers) and snarling insane villains (Blue Velvet, Speed, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). I’m putting this one in his scene-stealing roles (River’s Edge and True Romance).
Lara Flynn Boyle defined her career with Twin Peaks, but this is my favorite role of hers, as her performance is flawless in a really tricky role in which she alternately gets the audience on her side and against her. She has to be seen both as a victim to be saved and a devious villain to be feared, and she’s able to elicit both sentiments from me seamlessly. Femme fatales in noir are often flat characters who are super hot and shallow, but she really fills this one out in all dimensions. And yeah, she’s super hot in this one, too.
The Last Seduction
Dahl turned the femme fatale archetype on its head with this one, bringing us a character who may be the protagonist, but we can’t quite root for everything she does. On top of that, she’s clearly the smartest character in the film.
Linda Fiorentino absolutely crushed this role. So much of her dialog relies on a perfect delivery, and she never misses. And her facial expressions are crucial. It’s like that time Klay Thompson scored 37 points in one quarter1. If she has a better role, tell me—this has to be her best performance.
There was a slew of post-Fatal Attraction erotic thrillers at this time—Fiorentino was also in the unfortunate Jade2. This film’s only shortcoming is that it doesn’t look that big. It definitely was lower budget, and suffered for it in release. Everyone I knew back then rented the VHS but it never got the theater release it deserved. Out of these three, I think this script now would be converted into a limited series for one of the streamers. It’s sharp and mean and one of those stories you think about for a long time after.
And the rest!
Rounders, I think, is a perfect film that I’ve rewatched many times—one of the few times that voiceover adds to the film rather than annoys me. You Kill Me is a fun flick about an alcoholic hit man. I also enjoyed Unforgettable and Joy Ride, although, please do not start there.
So why isn’t he famous?
Money is my guess. He never directed one of those films that destroyed the box office. And it takes so much out of one’s life to direct a film. Why not show up on a set, direct one episode of an established, well-written show, get a nice paycheck, and then go home and not worry about receipts or reviews or funding? Now that you know his name, you’ll see it around.
Speaking of Kickstarter
My project funded! Thank you! I will give you more updates when the printer does!
I’m a huge Warriors fan, was watching this game when it happened, and still think about that game now, in what is clearly the last days of Klay’s career.
Jade is an all-time budget-to-suck stinker. How you get this much money and talent together and still make such a weird POS I’ll never know.
John Dahl was in the Pugs! They were the only punk band in Bozeman Montana at the time.
They played at my high school!
I was probably at that same sold out screening of Red Rock West at the Roxie. Went with Sandi Murray. Loved it. Was already in love with pulp and noir and was excited to see a filmmaker making one of those old-fashioned kinda movies with some up to date snap. Like a less esoteric Blue Velvet. Saw everything he did after that, even Last Seduction by myself in some Austin theater when I should’ve been at work or in class. His career kinda trailed off after that and I lost track. But it has been gratifying to see his name pop up on exactly the kind of shows that fit his sensibility.
Couple things: Michael Madsen isn’t dead yet and Dennis Hopper is the fuckin’ insane HERO in TCM 2!