(Carl Franklin, US 1991, 105 min., DCP)
“Remember what you told me about when you hear a whippoorwill? It means somebody’s gonna die.” Two groups of people are on a collision course with destiny. One is a trio of criminals from Los Angeles—brilliant psychopath Pluto Franklin (Michael Beach), drug dealer Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), and his girlfriend Fantasia (Cynda Williams). The other is Police Chief Dale Dixon (Bill Paxton) and two LAPD detectives on the trio’s trail. Their destination: Star City, Arkansas, where Fantasia has a past and Dixon has a family. As the criminals make their way across the country, a connection reveals a sordid past that leads to the final confrontation. From a screenplay by Thornton, Carl Franklin won Best Director at the Independent Spirit Awards for his breakout film.