'Wrong Turn At Tahoe' had no business turning out this fun. What keeps it chugging along is a good cast, decent directing and a story that moves at a good pace albeit stomping familiar grounds. Cuba Gooding Jr., Miguel Ferrer and Harvey Keitel headline, but you also get some fine work from faces in the supporting cast.
Joshua (Gooding) is the right hand man of local mob boss Vincent (Ferrer). Doing collections with associate Mickey (Johnny Messner) they end up at the apartment of a drug addict and conspiracy theorist Jeff (Michael Sean Tighe) who is a childhood friend of Vincent. He relays that a drug pusher named Frankie Tahoe (Noel G.) is looking to kill Vincent. Starting off a chain reaction of events that lead to bigtime boss Nino (Keitel) where only one man will be left standing.
You can see the play on words in the title. It's not a film of huge scope, but the tale of a man who owes his boss his life, their bond and the violence that surrounds them is satisfying. Everything feels grounded. Joshua is effective at his job, but he has grown weary of it. He doesn't quip a bunch of one liners or all flash with guns and money. He does what he has to and somehow is still a decent person. Vincent is a pitbull who values loyalty, but prone to flights of violence. While Nino has been surrounded by money and power for so long he thinks he's invincible.
'Wrong Turn At Tahoe' features moments of torture & a surprise or two on the way to a half hearted last frame. Ferrer is fantastic and I always like when Noel G shows up in a gangster street flick too. For my money, the best effort Cuba appeared in after sinking into the dtv territory.
Joshua (Gooding) is the right hand man of local mob boss Vincent (Ferrer). Doing collections with associate Mickey (Johnny Messner) they end up at the apartment of a drug addict and conspiracy theorist Jeff (Michael Sean Tighe) who is a childhood friend of Vincent. He relays that a drug pusher named Frankie Tahoe (Noel G.) is looking to kill Vincent. Starting off a chain reaction of events that lead to bigtime boss Nino (Keitel) where only one man will be left standing.
You can see the play on words in the title. It's not a film of huge scope, but the tale of a man who owes his boss his life, their bond and the violence that surrounds them is satisfying. Everything feels grounded. Joshua is effective at his job, but he has grown weary of it. He doesn't quip a bunch of one liners or all flash with guns and money. He does what he has to and somehow is still a decent person. Vincent is a pitbull who values loyalty, but prone to flights of violence. While Nino has been surrounded by money and power for so long he thinks he's invincible.
'Wrong Turn At Tahoe' features moments of torture & a surprise or two on the way to a half hearted last frame. Ferrer is fantastic and I always like when Noel G shows up in a gangster street flick too. For my money, the best effort Cuba appeared in after sinking into the dtv territory.