Cold Around The Heart (1997) Road Trip Neo Noir

"Why did ya do it? What makes a man go so low?"

It got lost in 1997, that's year that had an impressive trifecta of Jackie Brown, L.A. Confidential, and Lost Highway. The year before saw Fargo, Hard Eight, Mulholland Falls, and the little gem Hit Me (1996) come out. The year after Dark City, A Simple Plan, The Big Lebowski. It's an OK road flick with a bit of style and a lot of problems. No wonder nobody remembers it.

It was directed and written by John Ridley, the cinematographer was Malik Hassan Sayeed, the music was by Mason Daring.

The film stars David Caruso as Ned Tash, Kelly Lynch as Jude Law, Stacey Dash as Bec Rosenberg, Chris Noth as "T", John Spencer as Uncle Mike, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Johnny 'Cokebottles' Costello, Richard Kind as Attorney Nabbish.

Story

Mojave Desert

We hear a voice over narration. A woman's voice is telling the story of Ned and Jude.

Ned (David Caruso)

On the run. Mojave Desert. Getaway. Jewelry store smash and grab. It goes wrong. Three bodies doing the big cool. A modern day Bonnie and Clyde. Ned and Jude.

Jude (Kelly Lynch)

Speeding down an Arizona two lane. Cop car intercepting. The lovers final embrace. A last kiss. Ned makes a grab for the jewels. Jude flips the handle on the door. Ned gets pushed out. Jewels stay with Jude. Ned goes body surfing on the black top. Ned in the road. Jude blows him a kiss. Jude pedal to the metal speeds away.

Ned in the local hospital. One of those boonie first aid stations. A cop guarding the door. A grate guarding the window. Ned gets a visitor. Court appointed shyster. Nabbish, tells him he'll do all he can.

Ned and Nabbish (Richard Kind)

Lawer Nebbish: I Figure you got eight years to live.....  Why did ya do it? What makes a man go so low?

That question triggers a flashback. What makes a man go so low? It's a woman. Jude, and we see them in bed. Jude is riding the baloney pony, They are hot and heavy. Suddenly Jude starts laughing. Coitus interruptus. WTF. Ned asks what's so funny?

WTF?

Get the fuck off

Jude: What if Jeannie and God had a fight?
Ned: What?
Jude: Jeannie from I Dream Of Jeannie.....
Ned: You crazy bitch...

The mood broken. Hardon gone. One of her idiosyncrasies. She can't understand why he's so sensitive. They plan the heist.

Back to the present.

Ned wants to make his one call.

Lawer Nebbish: I don't know who you're calling but unless its God I wouldn't waste a dime.

Ned fakes taking a strong sedative. The nurse tells the guard cop that he'll be out for hours. The cop goes out to the hall. Ned gets out of bed. Spits out pills. Wedges a chair under the door knob. Gets dressed. Kicks out the window grate. Jumps out the window. Splits.

Sometime later we see Ned in a used car lot buying a used Lincoln Continental, He pays cash and drives off. Juxtaposed with a similar sequence of Jude buying a Chevy Super Sport.

Later, Ned is driving down the highway on the prowl looking for Jude.  He picks up Bec a young pregnant black woman hitchhiking, running away from home. As soon as she gets in the car she pulls a gun on Ned and tells him to drive. He gets the gun away from her at a piss stop, and finds out that she's not pregnant. He takes pity on her when she tells him that her alkie father either beat her or raped her.

Bec (Stacey Dash)

 Bec Rosenberg (Stacey Dash)

Jude meanwhile is in Los Angeles trying to fence the diamonds to Johnny 'Cokebottles' Costello, but he tells her with the heat so high on account of the three dead bodies he won't touch the rocks. When Jude pulls a gun on him she finds out that Cokebottles has a hidden bodyguard ready to cut her down.  She leaves and ends up ditching the diamonds in one of the cars at a nearby deserted wrecking yard.

Cokebottles (Pruitt Taylor Vince)

Stashing the rocks

Ned goes to the safe house of a an ex con buddy he calls his Uncle Mike. Mike take them in. While there Jude calls and Ned tells her that he is going to kill her. After talking to Jude, Ned calls his buddy "T" and tells him to be on the lookout for Jude

Uncle Mike (John Spencer) and Bec

Things are cool until Mike tries to rape Bec Ned shoots him. When Ned finally meets up with Jude he finds that he can't shoot her, but he wants the diamonds. Jude seeing a way to screw Ned tells him that Cokebottles is holding them. She draws him the set up and expects that Ned will get killed when he tries to shakedown Cockbottles.

It all goes Noirsville.

Noirsville

"T" (Chris Noth) and Ned 

The film is quite stylistic but the script is a bit whimsical with too many coincidental sequences. David Caruso is good as Ned but he and Kelly Lynch have about zero chemistry. Stacey Dash and Pruitt Taylor Vince are convincing. Chris Noth is adequate but has the least to do.

The film does have a lot of visual style too bad the rest didn't hold up. The story has been done before. The equivalent of a borderline "B" film. It uses The Turtles "So Happy Together" for  the lovers theme, 30 years late, pretty lame there too. Watch it if you can find it, 6/10