29 Palms

The flood of sarcastic, neo-noir crime pictures that flooded the direct-to-video marketplace in PULP FICTION's (1994) wake shows no sign of abating, but this violent shaggy dog story packs enough cynical bite to warrant attention on its own merits. Back-stabbing wheeler-dealer The Judge (Michael Lerner) divides his time between informing on an undercover FBI agent nicknamed "The Drifter" (Jeremy Davies) and defrauding his own partner, casino-owner The Chief (Russell Means). He neglects to tell that Las Vegas big-wigs have outbid the Chief for local rights to expand the casino business in California, but convinces him that it was actually The Drifter who conspired to...