Blind Horizon

Trust me, if I wake up in a hospital, having amnesia as a result from a bullet to the head and I have a vague recollection it's got something to do with killing the president. I'ld be out of that little town fast, real fast.

No, not in this movie, our hero spends the next hour or so (of the movie!!!) in the local pub drinking beer and tequilas and smoking one cigarette after the other. Trust me, I speak out of experience, that's the way to loose your memory, not to regain it.

There might have been more to it but I didn't get it. I don't think you will either...

Frank (Val Kilmer) is a lonely man with no identity who loses his records and suffers amnesia after being wounded in the desert of New Mexico. He has visions about a truck accident, hit men , explosion and snipers. He's attended in a hospital of a small town by a beautiful nurse (Amy Smart) and a doctor (Gil Bellows). Meanwhile, the town sheriffs (Sam Shepard , Noble Willinghan) are investigating the strange deeds. And there appears a mysterious girl (Neve Campbell) reclaiming to be his fiancée. Events go wrong and he realizes he can be a murderer has been hired to kill the US President . He must find a way to find out the enigma. The enemy is within. The enemy in me. He's lost his identity... next it may be his life.

This Neo-noir film packs action, suspense, thrills , shoot-outs and exciting scenes . The main and secondary casting give a first class performance . Kilmer as a hapless without memory is cool , he's the first among equal from extraordinary cast , such as Sam Shepard as an obstinate deputy , Giancarlo Esposito as a stubborn journalist and Faye Dunaway as shifty woman, among others. The film is slickly paced in original manner by means of several flashbacks, puzzles , jigsaw and with a pretentious plot , that's why it results to be a little confusing. It contains thrilling action set pieces as the spectacular gun-play proceeded in a tumultuous square where comes the US President. There's a little homage by paying tribute to the Mexican wrestling genre when the starring enters at a cinema theatre while showing the film titled 'Santo faces death' (1969) directed by Orozco and starred by Santo and Frank Braña . The film is produced in middling budget by Milennium, as usual, producers Avi Lerner, Danny Lerner, Trevor Short and Boaz Davison. The motion picture was professionally directed by Michael Haussman at his film debut and only movie. Although sometimes is dull and boring, the superb cast, relentless intrigue and fascinating thriller make this one well worth seeing.

True - most of the plot elements have been done before. I was entertained throughout the whole film. Though many parts of the film can be prediected, it should still keep your attention. I disagree with one of the previous user's comments; I belive Val Kilmer's acting was believable, and was a wise selection for the role.

"Blind Horizon", an amnesia action/mystery with some 'big name' stars, went straight to DVD without ever being theatrically released, so many have 'written it off' as a lousy film; but if you give it a chance, this is actually a very entertaining little gem! Directed by Michael Haussman, the distributor, Lion's Gate, dissatisfied with the rambling 'director's cut', brought in ace film editor Alain Jakubowicz to punch up the film, and his re-cut gives the movie an edgy, fast-paced 'look', reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Memento", especially in the central portrayal of Val Kilmer's "Frank Kavanaugh". A likable 'lost soul', shot and left to die in the desert, who knows vague details of a plot to assassinate the President, he gradually discovers he is not a 'nice' person, and is, in fact, a key player in the high-level conspiracy. But as with Harrison Ford, in "Regarding Henry", his amnesia offers him an opportunity to 'change' his whole persona...if he can survive the attempts to silence him, and conquer his own instincts as a 'hit man'.

Blessed with a first-rate cast, "Blind Horizon" offers many intriguing supporting portrayals, from a likable local sheriff (Sam Shepard), and his politically ambitious deputy (Noble Willingham), to the mysterious 'fiance' (Neve Campbell) Kavanaugh can't seem to remember, and the beautiful nurse (Amy Smart), he'd LIKE to know better, to a mysterious 'contact' (Faye Dunaway), who drifts in and out of his dreams, with missing pieces of the puzzle. Kilmer is, as always, eminently watchable, capturing both the innocent and unsavory sides of Kavanaugh very effectively, and making his climactic actions worth waiting for.

Of special note is the film score, written by the collective group of composers, Machine Head. Working with non-traditional instruments, the 'sound' is both musical and mysterious, and ideally suits the film's ambiguity.

"Blind Horizon" certainly deserves a look, as a film far better than it's ill-fated history would indicate. I enjoyed it, and I think you will, too!

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

Having sustained a head injury, Frank (Val Kilmer) awakens in hospital with nothing but a vague recollection of events that went before him and a knowing that the president will be assassinated in a small American town. With few people finding his story credible, he must race against the clock to put the pieces together and prevent wrong-doing of terrible proportions...

This is an engrossingly brainy video effort with an impressive use of camera and colour. Kilmer is never usually my most enjoyable of actors, but he is impressive here and so are the supporting cast including Noble Willingham, Neve Campbell and Faye Dunaway. ***