REVIEW DATE 4:22:9:9

As we get older, certain truths become evident. Prices are getting higher, politicians are getting worse, and Oliver Stone is getting stranger by the day.  The director of JFK seams to have given up on political conspiracies and put all in focus into just plain, weird stuff.

After his excursion into the truly demented with Natural Born Killers, I would have bet my email address that Stone couldn't get any weirder. I was right; U-Turn isn't anywhere near as strange as Killers. But whatever Stone was on during the making of killers, its fairly obvious to me that he had a little stash hidden away some where, and used it just for this occasion.

U-Turn begins as Bobby, Sean Penn, is driving through the Arizona desert. Bobby has managed to piss off the mob, and must deliver a whole boatload o' cash to them, or they'll cut of his hand. What a time for your car to break down, huh?

The untimely breakdown strands Bobby in the little town of Superior Arizona, a town filled with every type of hick in existence (believe me, I live in the Midwest, so I knows a hick when I sees one). The rest of the movie fallows Bobby through the rest of the day, and we soon discover that he must be the unluckiest S.O.B on the planet earth.

Yes, he has even less luck then a maniac who has dedicated himself to watching every move ever made. First off, the cash he was going to deliver to the mob gets shot up in a fail robbery attempt (no, he wasn't a participant). The psycho mechanic, Darrell (Billy Bob Thornton) wants cash up front to pay for repairs. Some hick kid named TNT challenges him to a fight over a ditzy teenage bimbo. And lets not forget the sheriff (Powers Boothe) breathing down his neck.

 To make things worse, a crazy real estate dealer (Nick Noltie) offers Bobby cash to kill his wife (Jennifer Lopez). At first, Bobby isn't to crazy about the idea, but as one thing leads to another and his day starts to get worse that cash is looking better all the time . . .

Much like those old serial movies you used to see, One Damned Thing Happens After Another in U-Turn. Just when you think things can't get worse for Bobby, they get very, very worse. And as things get worse you begin to kind of bond with Bobby, despite his obvious personality flaws (like the fact that he's a sociopath). The down side of this is that it might depress those of you in the crowd who are overly sensitive. Sorry.

For the rest of us, U-Turn can be quite the little thriller/drama/whatever. But it's damn weird. The script is weird, the actors are weird, and the characters they play are weird. The whole movie is just one big pile of weirdness, which, I think, is a good thing. This isn't just another straight shot kind of picture. Much like Natural Born Killers, its weirdness makes it unique. One of the best characters in the whole show is a blind old Indian man (Jon Voight) who dispenses philosophical advice to Bobby as he passes by. Have you ever heard of this character in your whole life?

I'm waiting.

Didn't thing so. And for that one person sitting in the back who answered yes: you sir, watch too much TV. Besides, even if you have seen the character you've probably never seen him played better. Voight, Penn, Lopez, Noltie, everyone here plays their characters to a perfect tee. No one overacts, no oneunder acts. All the acting jobs are just perfect.

However, this movie isn't for wimps, the easily offended, or people who think Oliver Stone has "sold out" (whatever that means). The rest of you, though, can have yourself a marry old time.

RATING (OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE)

NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.