Trouble in Mind (film)
| Trouble in Mind | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Alan Rudolph |
| Produced by | David Blocker |
| Written by | Alan Rudolph |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Toyomichi Kurita |
| Edited by | Tom Walls |
| Distributed by | Alive Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
Trouble in Mind is a 1985 neo-noir film, shot in Seattle, which follows an ex-cop just released from jail after serving time for a murder sentence as he returns to the mean streets of the fictional "Rain City."
It was directed and written by Alan Rudolph, and stars Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine, Geneviève Bujold, and Lori Singer, with an out-of-drag appearance by Divine.
The story starts off with the world-weary 1920s blues standard "Trouble in Mind" and ends with a song of love and reassurance, both performed by Marianne Faithfull. The opening line is "I wouldn't say no to a woman or a job".
The movie flips between reality and unreality in a variety of ways, with the time, language and setting unclear. The leading characters all display traits of the opposite of what they seem to be (the heroic ex-cop, for example, is a convicted murderer; the protective mother abandons her child; criminals show themselves to be sensitive philosophers; the wayward husband loves his wife; the straight woman shows a dark past; etc.).
There are déjà vus and some uncanny look-alike side characters that turn up in separate times and places, adding somewhat to the dream- or nightmare-like quality of the movie.
The four main characters convene by ones and pairs, get involved with one another, are joined by others, and end up in a final and absurd overall showdown to separate again.
In the mysterious metropolis of Rain City, a former policeman, Hawk, is out of prison after serving eight years on a murder rap. He returns to his former hangout, Wanda's Cafe, run by his former love, Wanda.
New arrivals in town are the down on his luck: Coop, his naive wife Georgia and their baby boy, Spike. In desperate need of money, Coop goes to work for a gangster, Solo, but he isn't very good at his job.
Hawk, meanwhile, begins to develop a protective and even romantic attachment to Georgia, who is hired by Wanda to be a waitress. Coop runs afoul of the mob boss in town, Hilly Blue, leading to a wild shootout at Hilly's unique mansion.
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Wikipedia