Truth or Consequences, N.M. MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 Content: -3 1/2

Six months after getting out of prison, Raymond Lembecke (Vincent Gallo) is looking for one big score so he and girlfriend Addy Monroe (Kim Dickens) can retire comfortably in Mexico. Along with partners Curtis Freley (Kiefer Sutherland) and Marcus Weans (Mykelti Williamson), they burst into a warehouse to steal a suitcase of cocaine from a drug dealer. But Curtis is a loose cannon who punctuates the heist by killing the dealer and an undercover policeman, and consequently this gang of four is on the run. Needing a new vehicle to confuse the cops, they take two hostages, Gordon (Kevin Pollack) and Donna (Grace Phillips), and commandeer their motorhome. While they evade the authorities and try to arrange an opportunity to sell their drugs, Raymond and his cohorts spend an inordinate amount of time driving around the western United States. Their ultimate destination is the title city, climaxed by a violent confrontation with both the mob and federal agents. Sutherland, who directs the movie, obviously wants the audience to have some sympathy for the criminals, particularly Raymond and Addy, who are portrayed as a tragic couple. But you have little regard for these low-life characters, and this extended road trip punctuated with bursts of violence quickly becomes tedious.

Grotesque violence dominates this movie. The story begins and ends with lengthy shoot-outs, as several people are injured and killed by bloody bullet wounds. The criminals also have a brutal battle in the Las Vegas office of a gangster (Rod Steiger). A stoical but sadistic mob enforcer (Martin Sheen) tries to track them down, interrogating Raymond's former cellmate and slicing off the poor guy's finger in order to extract the necessary information. Gordon gets in a fight with a man in a saloon parking lot and slices his attacker's throat with a broken beer bottle. Foul language is equally overwhelming, especially 122 obscenities and 13 regular profanities. A brief sex scene between Raymond and Addy includes some female breast nudity. Particularly because its foul language and use of gruesome violence to entertain, Truth or Consequences, N.M. is a very loathsome film.

Preview Reviewer: Mark Perry
Distributor: Triumph Releasing, 10202 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232