THE HOT SPOT seems to take place in a town of whatever size is convenient at the moment. The town is so small that the volunteer firefighting force can't be mustered without leaving the bank unstaffed, but it's big enough to support a spacious strip joint with girls on four platforms at a time. The used car lot seems to need only one salesman, the boss, and a clerk, but it supports the boss and his wife in an enormous mansion. Oh yes, someone mentions that he's also in real estate. I wonder who his buyers are. The production looks as if it couldn't even afford enough extras to give the impression of a populace.
A bigger problem, though, is the lead actors. It's hard to identify with Don Johnson in a part that should have gone to Dennis Hopper himself if only Hopper were younger. Hopper can draw our sympathy or fascination by giving his character a look of underlying fear or insanity. Don Johnson just looks smug, and so does Virginia Madsden.
The best thing is the soundtrack, matching the minimalism of John Lee Hooker with the minimalism of Miles Davis. There were more black people on the soundtrack, by the way, than in the cast.
A bigger problem, though, is the lead actors. It's hard to identify with Don Johnson in a part that should have gone to Dennis Hopper himself if only Hopper were younger. Hopper can draw our sympathy or fascination by giving his character a look of underlying fear or insanity. Don Johnson just looks smug, and so does Virginia Madsden.
The best thing is the soundtrack, matching the minimalism of John Lee Hooker with the minimalism of Miles Davis. There were more black people on the soundtrack, by the way, than in the cast.