U TURN has a great premise: a drifter shows up in an out-of-the-way town, only to fall foul of the town's weirdo inhabitants and finding himself caught up in intricate plots between various characters. It's directed by Oliver Stone, a man with a history of making challenging cinema, and it has an ensemble cast of familiar actors. What's to go wrong? The story, as it turns out. U TURN falls down because the storyline is bloated and convoluted in equal measure. It meanders from place to place as the minutes and the hours gradually roll by, and you never get closer to any kind of truth or outcome. Come the umpteenth twist at the climax, you no longer care.

The central crux of the film is a love triangle but it takes an age for this to go anywhere - THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE this isn't! Instead it's dragged out long beyond any intrigue or entertainment value it might have had. Much of the film involves quirky run-ins with various off-beat characters, but that doesn't make a film. And this time, Stone's direction feels pretentious and off-putting, like he's trying too hard and going overboard with the stylistics.

Cast-wise, the main actors don't fair too well. Sean Penn is as unsympathetic as ever; I don't think I've ever seen him play a genuinely warm character. It doesn't bode well. Jennifer Lopez is youthful and refreshingly free of Hollywood-style cosmetic surgery, but her acting is limited. Nick Nolte just feels like he's trying too hard. The supporting stars are better: Billy Bob Thornton as the unrecognisable garage mechanic (shades of A SIMPLE PLAN's Jacob here),Jon Voight as a hobo, Powers Boothe as the sheriff, Joaquin Phoenix as a thug.

In a better film, these characters would light up the screen; here, they seem mired in a bit of a mess and a missed opportunity. With a tightened screenplay and a great deal more focus, U TURN might have turned out halfway decent.

Bobby (Sean Penn) is on his way to pay off a debt to a gangster who has already taken two fingers. His car breaks down as he pulls into desert outpost Superior, Arizona in the middle of nowhere. He leaves the car with Darrell (Billy Bob Thornton) the mechanic. He hits on Grace McKenna (Jennifer Lopez) but she's actually married to Jake (Nick Nolte) who catches them kissing. After punching him, Jake drives him back to town suggesting a scheme to kill Grace. A robbery at the store ends with his bag of money shot to bits. Darrell has his car ripped apart and wants $150 for the trouble. He calls the gangster who is not happy and sends a thug. At the diner, he talks to Jenny (Claire Danes) which provokes her boyfriend Toby N. Tucker (Joaquin Phoenix). Bobby goes to Jake with a proposal.

Director Oliver Stone is throwing everything onto the screen but not enough of it sticks. He fills this with crazy characters. The music and sound is deliberately wacky. He's trying so hard that it almost hurts to watch this. The style is so random that it all gets a bit tiresome. The characters are not compelling and Sean Penn doesn't make me care about his character. The temperature may be hot but there is no heat about any of this.

You want your movie to be open til the end? You don't to know what is going to happen, right until it happens? Than watch this movie! It has all the right ingredients, beginning from the actors, the script and an excellent director! Though this is one of his lesser known movies (looking at the actors that are on display here you have to wonder why),it is one that will have on the edge of your seat ... throughout the whole time!

Because it really is necessary that you don't know that much about this thriller, I'll only tell you that a man on the run (Sean Penn) comes to a city. This is a pattern used often, the "new man in town"-template. As a viewer you are automatically involved in his story. And you should be. Sean Penn is playing his part great and even a Miss Lopez has one of her better movie performances here (the other being Out of Sight ... yeah I liked Money Train and Anaconda too, but you can't really say, that her "acting" in them was great! ;o)

With that being said, if you only have a little taste for thrillers and haven't seen this one yet, you shouldn't wait any longer ... go out seek this movie and watch it! A shame, there is no Special Edition DVD that does this movie justice!