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Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly, Charles Martin Smith, Bill Sadler ... see more see more... , Jerry Hardin , Barry Corbin , Jack Nance , Leon Rippy , Virgil Frye , John Hawker , Margaret Bowman , Debra Cole , Karen Culley , James N. Harrell , Cody Haynes , George Haynes , Shannon Quinlan , Roosevelt Williams , Edith Mills

This hard-boiled throwback to the film noir dramas of the 1940s and '50s is directed by filmmaker and actor Dennis Hopper, based on the novel Hell Hath No Fury by Charles Williams. Don Johnson stars a... read more read more...s Harry Madox, a drifter who settles in a small Texas town and begins secretly setting small fires, setting up his planned heist of the local bank run by eccentric Julian Ward (Jack Nance). To pay the bills while he puts his robbery scheme in motion, Harry gets a job working at a used car lot owned by the ailing George Harshaw (Jerry Hardin), whose promiscuous vamp of a wife, Dolly (Virginia Madsen), immediately begins a torrid affair with Harry. Harry's also powerfully attracted to the gorgeous Gloria Harper (Jennifer Connelly), an innocent, virginal secretary at the car dealership with a dark secret involving a creepy blackmailer, Frank Sutton (William Sadler). The Hot Spot also stars Charles Martin Smith, Barry Corbin, and Leon Rippy. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

42% liked it

3,668 ratings

Critics

69% liked it

16 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Dennis Hopper

Release Date: October 12, 1990

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DVD Release Date: June 13, 2000

Stats: 167 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (167)

  • clintervin
    October 14, 2011
    clintervin
    The Hot Spot is an outstanding erotic thriller from director Dennis Hopper, evocative of 40s film noir yet set perfectly in present day west Texas. Although this film is known to many only for Jennifer Connelly's topless scene, the nudity is only a bonus, and I found femme fatale... read more Virginia Madsen much sexier. She plays Dolly Harshaw, a hot, manipulative seductress combining 50s Liz Taylor with 90s Sharon Stone. I don't love Don Johnson ordinarily, but he's effective here, and you'll fall in love instantly with Connelly's character. Johnson's character is not so much a criminal mastermind as a clever shady drifter (who picks up work as a car salesman, imagine that!) The acting is good all around; I liked Bill Sadler as a redneck sleazeball, and Jack Nance is hilarious as the bank president.

    How could you ask for more, really? The Hot Spot's got scandal, murder, blackmail, nudity, and a little humor set in a hot, dusty setting. The soundtrack's good too. One critic termed Madsen "relentless," but I reserve that for Maddie in Body Heat. That's a superior film, but uninhibited and insatiable apply just as well to this film. The action and the passion build to a fever pitch and climax unexpectedly in this steaming hot potboiler. It's a little long and meandering but a neo-noir success nonetheless.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    June 9, 2010
    cancercapricorn2002
    This is quintessential film noir, a little gem that reeks of Stanwyck and Mitchum and ripples with pithy one-liners, nicely convoluted plot twists and a classic moral triangle.

    All the leads deliver knowing and unhurried performances, aided by a lean, laconic script and smooth d... read moreirection - Jennifer Connelly is the astonishingly beautiful innocent, gradually bring dragged into a corrupt world ; Virginia Madsen simmers perfectly as the amoral and predatory manipulator ; and Don Johnson brings style and swagger to the central role, the cynical opportunist who finds a moral redemption of sorts, an outsider who finds himself both player and played in a seedy small-town intrigue.

    Like all the best noir, Hot Spot starts with the implicit assumption that the audience is grown-up and able to appreciate subtlety and inference, and this understated adherence to story and character is a long way from the referential post-modernism of Tarantino. And while it probably lacks some of Tarantino's flash and bravado, the dialogue drips with innuendo and irony, and I challenge anyone not to get caught up in both the ingenious narrative and the sheer enjoyment of the supporting cast, who provide plenty of visual and verbal humor. The silences and raised eyebrows at various points are a delight, we can work out the meanings for ourselves (and it's nice to be trusted to do that), and I don't think Don Johnson has been better before and or since.

    If you are looking for a Scorsese/Coppola-style gangster film, or an intricate ensemble piece with plenty of shooting like The Usual Suspects, this might not be your bag. But if your taste runs to Double Indemnity, The Big Heat or Out Of The Past, I can almost certainly guarantee that - like me - you will find The Hot Spot deeply satisfying, a storytelling treat that exemplifies the best of the genre and, unlike most of its late 80's/early 90's contemporaries, easily stands the test of time.
  • ScoopOnline
    January 7, 2010
    ScoopOnline
    A tiny bit too slow and the plot messed up for me, but some steamy sex scenes and a young Don Jonhson was a candy to watch. My very first R rated Movie by the way. lol
  • Raider34r
    June 2, 2011
    Raider34r
    Jennifer Connelly alone makes this worth watching. A nice, entertaining, hot, dirty, twisted little film. Not for everyone but definitely worth a look or two.
  • TonyPolito
    August 16, 2010
    TonyPolito
    An all-round solid piece of neo-noir work, recommended for fans of such - as well as anyone looking for soft but steamy late-night-cable stuff.

    An appropriately sweltering Texas dustbowl town is the neo-noir setting into which grifter/drifter Johnson wanders for a quick Lone St... read morear at a topless honky-tonk. The look-see inspires Johnson to fast-talk his way into dealing junkers off an unpaved car lot, a vantage point from which he can case out the town proper.

    Soon enough, he's wedged in tight between fresh-off-the-farm ingenue Jennifer Connelly and the golddigger wife of the lot's owner (Madsen) who's manipulative, libidinous and drawling on like Blanche DuBois while wallowing about the halls (and bedrooms) of her empty, gilded mansion-cage. Wedged so tight that he just can't seem to make that bank job he's scheming fit quite as neatly as he'd like.

    Stir one scummy jealous lover into this brew and you can be sure this is one deal where somebody's going to be drawing a real short straw. Place your bets and saddle up for the ride.

    The film's sort of a sleeper, but as sexy, twisty neo-noir goes it's done very well, easily comparable to "Palmetto," if not better. Of the constantly sweat-drenched trio, it's Madsen's performance that stands tallest, undeniably defining her as true talent. Her performance ensnares the viewer within her sexed-up black widow's web as easily as it does Johnson.

    Connelly, barely-of-age, and holding only her role as the child dancer in "Once Upon a Time in America" as a major credit, had to yield director Dennis Hopper an extended topless shot to get/stay on the playing field, but she wears her entire role very well, clearly demonstrating tremendous future promise.

    As for Johnson, his role's a natural fit.

    RECOMMENDATION: In my personal library & more-than-one-spin recommended.
  • dfreebyrd59
    March 31, 2009
    dfreebyrd59
    What a tangled web they weave. Poor Harry is in over his head when he falls in love with the accountant who has things goin on herself. Small towns know everyone and whats goin on. Loved Madsen as she can play a b*tch so well.
  • AlaineB
    September 20, 2008
    AlaineB
    Speaking of heat. Bleak and sad story, but delivers well if you're in the mood for sex, treachery, and bottom-feeders. I liked Virginia Madsen. Though I don't care for him, Don Johnson was perfect for the role he played.
  • jaynyca1
    June 15, 2007
    jaynyca1
    Don's other movie beforr the "Harley Davidson & the Marlboro man" and its a romantic one with all sort of twists and turns and his he a good guy or not?. . . Plenty of good romantic pairings between Don Johnson and Jennifer Connlley & Virginia Madsen
  • ozarksavage1977
    January 23, 2007
    ozarksavage1977
    To be honest it has been a while since I saw this but of course the only thing I can remember is the Connelly topless scene. So it'll get one star for that.
  • peaceboy
    September 21, 2006
    peaceboy
    Thankfully Virginia Madsen would someday find better material. A film that really didn't need to be made.

View All The Hot Spot Reviews

Critic Reviews

Scott Nash
July 16, 2010
Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs

This neo-noir film directed by Dennis Hopper is like a trashy pulp novel that you might read and enjoy at the beach. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
November 11, 2009
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Lazily made neo-noir that sinks its teeth into the genre's cliches with limited success. Full Review

Rob Thomas
September 24, 2004
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

A pretty sexy and effective noir in broad daylight.

David Nusair
July 25, 2003
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

The Hot Spot is an incredibly hit-and-miss affair, with the various positive elements in the film hurt by a seriously overlong running time. Full Review

Clint Morris
September 17, 2002
Clint Morris, Moviehole

Nothing to write home about, but still a middling hoot

James Sanford
July 29, 2002
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

comes dangerously close to clicking before fizzling out

Scott Weinberg
July 26, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Maybe worth seeing just for Jennifer Connelly's numerous assets, otherwise it's a dry and wandering affair.

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

April 4, 2011
Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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The Hot Spot Trivia

  • Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connolly. Name the film.  Answer »
  • Who directed the movie The Hot Spot?  Answer »
  • In which movie did Jennifer Connelly co-starred with Don Johnson?  Answer »
  • In what movie did Don Johnson of Miami Vice fame team with Jennifer Connelly and Virginia Madsen?  Answer »
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