Cute. That was my initial thought when the credits for Saint John of Las Vegas rolled. I don't think the filmmakers would be happy with that reaction as I believe they were attempting to make a more serious indie film (it is based on Dante's Inferno and does star Steve Buscemi after all). Cute isn't necessarily a bad thing though. I laughed lots and would recommend Saint John of Las Vegas to the same audience that enjoyed films such as Fargo and Slacker. Would I recommend it to the masses? Definitely not.

John (Buscemi) is an ex-resident of Las Vegas who left because he has a bit of a gambling problem and only bad luck. He currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico (where his car ran out of gas while he was fleeing Vegas) and works in a cubicle answering phones for an insurance company. He sits next to Jill (Sarah Silverman), a woman he has a crush on who is obsessed with smiley faces (she has them painted on her fingernails and plastered on her cubicle walls). When he approaches his boss (Peter Dinklage) for a raise he finds himself being reassigned to the fraud department and is sent out on the road with Virgil (Weeds' Romany Malco). Virgil is a tightly-wound tough guy who makes busting fraudulent insurance claims an art form. Their investigation -- a claim by a stripper named Tasty Delight (Entourage's Emmanuelle Chriqui) who wants $200,000 for a fender bender that left her wheelchair bound, is "just outside of Vegas" and has John itching to gamble again.

Nothing truly exciting happens during the investigation, which is okay, because it's the dialogue and performances that carry the movie. Buscemi plays John as only Buscemi can -- as a neurotic and anxious loser. It comes off as a mix between his Mr. Pink character in Reservoir Dogs, his Tony Blundetto character in The Sopranos, and his character in the criminally under-praised Interview. Malco's character feeds off him and it's fun to watch him appear so annoyed and cold towards John. Silverman's presence is also welcomed and she delivers one of the most interesting roles in the film (and her career). There's also a hilarious scene with a fully naked (yes, you see it all) gun-toting Tim Blake Nelson that is sure to get your attention.

This is writer-director Hue Rhodes's first film -- he shows a lot of promise, and is definitely on the road to being in the same league as the Coen Brothers one day. I feel that taking on Dante's Inferno might have been a little too ambitious a project for his first outing though and would like to see him handle a more straight film next time out. Either way, I can see Saint John of Las Vegas being a film that will get a hardcore fan following and live a long life at midnight screenings and on DVD.

*** out of 5 stars

Rated R
Cast: Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Romany Malco
Directed by: Hue Rhodes
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

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Top image: Steve Buscemi in Saint John of Las Vegas. Courtesy KinoSmith.