red rock west be a perfect example of how good a film can be with practically no budget . all you need be a smart script and good actor and load of atmosphere . rrw delivers all these and more . nic cage play an ex marine and injure in lebanon and who be down to his last 5 dollar after be refuse a job on an oilfield because of his bad knee . he roles into red rock and be mistake by bartender wayne ( jt walsh and not quite a his most menacing but still evil ) for a hit man from texas . he pay him to kill his wife and make it look like burglary . only when he get there and just to check her out . she offer him double to kill wayne . cage just want to get the hell out of town with his free money and leave the sparring lover be . but a series of mishap and setback result in him yo yoing in and out of red rock and back and forth . eventually this lead to a run in with lyle from dallas ( a cheeky and somehow sympathetic dennis hopper ) and the real hit man from texas who offer to help without know he make the plot more complicated . rrw never have a big release and thus most of it audience discover it on video or on cable tv showing . view it in such a way might make it seem like a tv movie but it big than that . the slick and slowly time direction and moody score and howl desert wind would have all make for a great movie in theatre but the best you can do these day be watch the dvd on a big hdtv . the only weak point of the movie i can think of be lara flynn boyle bore femme fatale with the nasty dyke ish hairdo . i certainly wouldn not fall for her but if you assume that nic cage character be in to militant lesbian then you will accept it nonetheless .