Outside Ozona (1998) User Reviews

Rewarding Indie With an All-Star Cast

[cariart · 7/10 · 16 November 2000]

'Outside Ozona', an off-beat dark comedy/thriller directed by J.S. Cardone, is a little gem, brightened by a cast of established Hollywood actors. The story involves a serial killer, pursued by agent Lucy Webb (in a role reminiscent of Frances McDormand, in 'Fargo'), but it is really a character study of a group of people whose lives will be changed forever by the killer, during one eventful night.

Standouts in the large cast include Taj Mahal, as a burned-out deejay at a country music station, who switches the playlist to rhythm and blues, and ruminates about life; Robert Forster, portraying a good-hearted trucker dealing with loneliness following the death of his wife; Kevin Pollack and Penelope Ann Miller (who is EXCELLENT!), as an unemployed circus clown and his dancer/hooker girlfriend; and Sherilyn Fenn (cast WAY against type!), as a shrewish, materialistic woman travelling with her sister to visit their father. As each character's story unfolds, you are drawn into a rich, involving tale of humor, melancholy, and a touch of the macabre!

The film is very well-paced, and will hold your attention, throughout, and the explosive climax is both exciting and emotionally satisfying!

Take a drive down the highway 'Outside Ozona'...you'll enjoy the trip!

Serial killer dropped into a character study...

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 3 October 2007]

I liked this movie because of it's excellent character development. All except the serial killer were interesting people. However, the main protagonist was the least developed character, and that weakened the whole film. The converging story lines maintained interest for the most part, other than a couple overlong stories that were nothing more than padding. The last scene in the radio station was totally unnecessary. Acting was above average, and the desert locations felt right. When the characters eventually meet their destiny, it is handled far better than many mainstream movies. A little script tightening, and more development of the killer would have improved what is already an above average film. - MERK

Outside Ozona

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 1 January 2008]

The Skokie Ripper has picked up killing women and stealing their cars along the Midwest and the film centers on various characters that he will affect in one way or another as their lives intersect in this interesting(I thought)character study.The thoughtful, existential screenplay was written by director Cardone and deals with topics such as regret, loneliness, fate, and death.Outside Ozona might make an interesting companion piece with Cardone's desert Midwestern vampire tale, The Forsaken.The film is filled with colorful, often profane dialogue. Could be Cardone's most ambitious script as a writer and he rarely has had such a competent cast to work with which included Robert Forster(as a gentle truck driver), Kevin Pollack(as an out-of-work circus clown), Penelope Ann Miller(..cast against type as Pollack's dim-bulb stripper-girlfriend), Taj Mahal(as a disgruntled and troubled radio jock whose voice is an important part of the film), Meat Loaf(as Mahal's radio manager who can not stop his employee from letting off steam on the air in a revolt against having to cover two shifts because another didn't come into work), Sherilyn Fenn(in a minor role as a possible victim of an unlikely serial killer), Swoosie Kurtz(as a diner waitress)& David Paymer(as a bible-quoting, fanatical sociopath murdering females on the road in his twisted, warped view of working for the Lord). Kateri Walker is a beautiful Navajo woman Forster befriends as she plans to take her dying mother, Effie(Lois Red Elk)to New Mexico before her death. The film basically follows the characters as they converse about their lives and what possibilities have passed them by.

Surprisingly good!

[Scoopy · 7 September 1999]

It is a truly offbeat dream-poem of a movie about the loneliness of the open prairie roads on the graveyard shift. The plot winds together several seemingly unrelated storylines united by the fact that all the characters listen to the same two-bit radio station, and seem headed for a common fate. The tension occurs because a serial killer is roaming the highways among the usual losers, misfits, daffodils and lonely hearts.

It's not quite a great movie because it tried to dominate the entire experience with murky tone and forlorn bluesy dialogue, and that is a difficult meal to concoct without grinding it all to cornball mush. The movie is the cinematic equivalent of a sad saxophone wail, and while it had some great moments, that type of mood is sometimes best left to the sax, because expressing it in dialogue can ring false and corny (the Sherilyn Fenn character was an unrealisticly shallow and cardboard cliche, for example).

On the other hand, if you have a taste for the offbeat, you may really enjoy this collection of anecdotes and vignettes. Because of a "this is my song, and I'm going to sing it my way" attitude, it's more interesting than a lot of big budget studio pictures.

A very eclectic cast

b movie material certainly but still very entertaining

[miksedene · 7/10 · 31 July 2005]

This film is far from the best I've ever seen but its definitely the best B-movie I've ever seen. The structure is Tarantino like with some of the familiar gore. However, this film does not attempt to be funny. This is a gritty, down to earth film following the stories of several likable characters through conversations eventually leading to a huge climax bringing them all together. This is the type of film you should watch late at night on the couch for the simple reason that you don't expect too much so you get a lot more than you hoped for in a B movie. And now for some very weird reason i have to make up ten lines of text. That should do it.

Failed To Impress

[Zoooma · 6/10 · 22 May 2014]

A not-so-creepy tale of travelers in the night in the middle of nowheresville around the junction of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. Eventually each character will cross paths with one another. In the meantime there's a serial killer out there, too. Robert Forster just did not have a big enough role in this or else maybe it coulda had a chance to better than it is. Taj Mahal as the DJ was excellent, however; his role really helped make this worth watching. Overall it did not pack enough punch and may not be that memorable in the long run. It failed to impress me that much and I will not be in a hurry to ever see it again.

5.3 / 10 Stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

This is not a bad movie, but its plate is a little too full. **1/2 (out of four)

[Movie-12 · 6/10 · 12 August 2001]

OUTSIDE OZONA / (1998) **1/2 (out of four)

By Blake French:

"Outside Ozona" wanders just a little too much to warrant a recommendation. It's a solid attempt from first time director and screenwriter J.S. Cardone; he creates a sordid environment for his characters and often provokes a real sense of community and compassion, but there are just too many characters and too little of a plot to carry them through. I enjoyed much of the film, enough to call this movie a close miss-but I cannot recommend a movie that doesn't know what it's about. There is so much material here, the thin plot threads quickly break apart, and the audience is the group who wishes there we're some kind of boundaries to keep everything together.

The movie takes place during a single night on the stretching deserted highways outside Ozona, Oklahoma. We meet a lot of characters, too many, that all seem to live separate lives unrelated to the others. There's a circus clown (Kevin Pollack) who gets mad when he's fired, but becomes even more angry when he discovers his stripper girlfriend (Penelope Ann Miller) has previously slept with his boss to help save his job. There is a lonesome truck driver (Robert Forster) who lends a helping hand to a Navajo Indian woman, whose grandmother (Keteri Walker) is dying. Two bitter sisters (including Sherilyn Fenn) who pick up hitchhiker (David Paymer) who may or may not be a serial killer roaming the highways.

The film makes several attempts to connect these stories, which we cut back and forth from throughout the film. One of those attempts deals with a disco jockey on his last strings (Taj Mahal), whose boss (Meat Loaf) isn't happy that his radio station has become under the heat of higher powers. Another attempt is the film's climax, in which all of these stories come to a literal crash. This is disposable and needless. It concludes the various circumstances, but doesn't succeed in bringing them together for a final showdown. It's kind of a disappointment.

There are many scenes in which the various characters exchange lengthy conversations that really don't further the plot. But is there really a central plot? Not really. Perhaps that's why the movie doesn't work, because it has no focus, no purpose to build the tension, no story to develop. This is a simple character study. One that often becomes violent (there are some graphically bloody images) gratuitous (there's a scene in a strip club that involves so much unwarranted nudity it feels awkward), and boring (look up "talking heads" in a film analysis book and you'll probably find references to this film). Some of the characters are interesting, but with so many, the film doesn't know which ones.

After all of this I forgot to mention the subplot involving the FBI tracking down a serial killer who brutally murders young women as a means of religious rituals. When you forget a subplot that major and important, you know the film's plate is a little too full.

When it's supposed to be available for this film?

[micahfam · 5/10 · 15 January 2022]

It can only be available on VHS. Like I said I can contact Sony pictures entertainment so I can put that film and masterminds on DVD. But unfortunately it's not streaming on anything on the internet. It needs to be put back in the internet so everyone can watch it or get his own copy of DVD.

A little bit spooky, a lot weird, and well crafted character development.

[darkstrangers · 10/10 · 9 July 2001]

You just can't judge a book by its cover, ya'know? That nice, harmless looking geek stranded on the side of the road with a broken-down car could very well be a raving, ax murderer.

This is a nicely done film dealing with several different people that are on a collision course outside of the little western town of Ozona. One is a homicidal lunatic and the rest are relatively innocent folks who may or may not have the misfortune of running into him.

Meatloaf gives a nice performance as the manager of a radio station that realizes the nut calling in on the phone is the killer. Robert Forster is excellent as a sweet, but lonely truck driver.

Casting David Paymer as the murderer was a stroke of genius, reminding one that people are not always as they seem. Making someone so harmless looking into a cold-blooded killer is exactly what makes him so frightening. Nice work all-around. A very good choice for a stay-at-home-night date.

Lots of Charm

[refinedsugar · 6/10 · 1 May 2024]

'Outside Ozona' is an OOP dtv title largely forgotten about from the 90's with a plot of intertwining characters, their life stories that you don't see made much anymore. At the center is a serial killer and a radio station everyone listens to driving down the back roads, highways of California. It's cast might be the first thing you notice, but it's real life sentiments, blurbs fleshed out by fine atmosphere brings it home. Only a slightly long runtime keep it from being stronger.

The latest victim sits dead behind the wheel with a particular radio station still on. It's DJ Dix (Taj Mahal) butts head with manager Floyd (Meat Loaf). Broke couple Wit (Kevin Pollak) and Earlene (Penelope Ann Miller) take to the road when he's fired from his latest job. Sisters Marcy (Sherilyn Fenn) & Bonnie (Beth Ann Styne) on a cross-country trip for their fathers funeral pick up Alan (David Paymer) who's car has broken down. Widowed long haul driver Odell Parks (Robert Forster) prone to stops for coffee, gas, food has a chance meeting with Reba Twosalt (Kateri Walker) who he lends a hand. Meanwhile FBI Agent Deene (Lucy Webb) follows the bodies two steps behind.

If you haven't seen the film before chances are you're thinking a large part will be figuring out who the serial killer is, but thankfully that's not the case. They don't try to pull any twists. If you're paying attention you know who it is before it's spelled out. The enjoyment is watching, listening to a bunch of people from different paths, perspectives. Taj does a great job as the DJ who's the backbone of the tale. Pollak & Miller give a honest picture of unfulfillment, drifting & countless bad decisions. Forster, Walker supply a large dose of heart, warmth.

'Outside Ozona' is one of those movies that looks to be dividing people. Either you'll enjoy it's simple down to earth nature, characters & accept the contrived bit of how they all come together or you'll find the whole experience a bore. I saw this back in the late 90's and I thought it was alright. That feeling is still largely here two decades later. Though it does lose some of it's spark near the end when the nonstop talking has run it's course.

One of Robert Forsters Top Five performances

[frod-3 · 9/10 · 18 February 2006]

Outside Ozona is a creepy, quirky offbeat web of interesting characters woven into a tapestry of American life on the fringes, in the hinterlands. Numerous standout character performances spice up a slow building story- including Kevin Pollak as an acerbic, grouchy clown, Penelope Ann Miller as his stripper girlfriend . For the music fan we have the great Taj Mahal as a late night radio DJ as well as Meat Loaf as his boss- they could be their own "cant stand each other" buddy flick.

The heart of the movie is in the performances of Kateri Walker and Robert Forster- he"s a trucker and she's a school teacher out of gas in unfriendly territory. My reason for writing this review is to alert fans of Robert Forsters work to this great performance- he is everything he is in Jackie Brown in this one --ENJOY

Not as bad as it ought to be.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 30 August 2007]

Kind of unpromising material, if you think about it. A dozen people in different vehicles thrumming through the Oklahoma night while a mad killer is offing women and leaving their corpses holding their own hearts. (Wow.) What an opportunity to slather Technicolor Red Number Nine all over the screen.

Instead the writer and director have given us a series of character studies that, if schematic, are at least not in-your-face revolting. The violence is no more than is required and the acting is pretty good. Especially good are Robert Forster as a good-natured truck driver, Lois Red Elk as a Navaho mother who wants to see the Gulf of Mexico before she dies, and Penelope Anne Miller as a sleazy but compliant lap dancer. Complaints from others that the script is overwritten, so that the dialog sounds speechy, while understandable, should compare this attempt at naturalism with the arty "Night on Earth." I have a complaint too, though. That damned dog! The doomed mutt that Forster picks up at a truck stop. We already KNOW that Forster's Odell is a nice guy. We don't need his saving the dog. Makes you feel as if it weren't enough that Cardone, the writer and director, had touched our hearts -- he had to cut them out and hand them to us.

rural Pulp Fiction

[Bob7 · 4 January 2000]

This movie is like a rural version of Pulp Fiction, where several subplots are drawn together at the end. It's interesting and moves along well, complete with serial killer, stripper, armed robber, budding romances, and a cool DJ. If you liked the kind of subplot dialogues in Pulp Fiction, you'll like this one.

I like to dedicate a song for a killer on the road.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 9 January 2009]

Around this period there were a slew of serial killer pictures about ('The Bone Collector', 'The Watcher'), however this little independent production added it's own distinctive spin to the conventions and situation involving a separate group of strangers travelling the lonely back-roads one night listening to the same radio station as a serial killer is on the loose and the FBI are on the killer's bloody trail. Where this one really works is that in the interactions and social insight between the characters of the piece. It's almost a spiritual journey involving life, death and fate on the open desert road and J.S. Cardone's intelligently complete screenplay complements it. Cardone who's also behind the director's chair makes the film look sleek with it low-scale origins and intertwines tautly layered tension from its slow-going progression. The laid-back style works, and this lets the verbose script open up with offbeat humour and vivid realisations as everything seems to fall by chance and link up by the end with essentially the music station being the wider voice. The performances create a genuine quality of people trying to find their feet and serial killer aspect seems like a background tool. As he is hard-done by in the character study, because there was a lot more to milk out of it than what we actually received. The premise's concept reminded me of another feature starring Danny Glover, Pam Grier and Michelle Rodriguez; '3 A.M. (2001)'. Making it very watchable is an experienced and quite likable cast featuring Robert Forster (in a heartfelt turn), Kevin Pollack, Penelope Ann Miller (both were terrific and the chemistry rolled off very well), Sherilyn Fenn, Taj Mahal (is memorable as the ragged DJ), Meat Loaf, Kateri Walker and David Paymer (is suitably placid and unnerving in a bloodstained killer role). The violence of certain scenes has a nasty edge and killer from the get-go is obviously suggested. The arousing soundtrack is mainly made up of rollicking country tunes and folksy blues that are being beamed from the radio speakers. The film's conclusion with the disc jockey's final words could have been easily discarded and better off.

innovative film-making and compassionate POV

[carlacryptic · 10/10 · 31 October 2005]

This is one of the best films I've seen which I've never been able to turn other people on to. It doesn't seem to exist as a video or DVD rental. I think that's a travesty. It is definitely a sleeper but, unlike the other commenter, I don't see it as being anything like Pulp Fiction.. In fact, one of the reasons I like this film so much is that it deals with extraordinary things which happen to, and because of, ordinary people bumping up against circumstance and a serial killer. Somehow serendipity threads through everything in a way which I really liked. I'm a big Robert Forester fan and especially love the films he has made in the past 15 years or so. He plays the kind of person I like to meet in real life and that's pretty rare. One other thing I love about this film is the cinematography, especially fun being the first 15 or twenty minutes of the film. No spoilers! Just watch it if you get a chance. I keep hoping it'll come back on cable so I can see it another time.

Nice variation of Pulp fiction

[Da reel Mikestar · 10/10 · 22 December 2001]

This is a nice, witty, emotional, film! It is a drama/comedy/action intertwining 4 stories into one, all wrapped around a radio program. This film is a nice surprise as it has nice characters who you want to see get ahead, and nice use of scenery. It is a film that will never bore you, but it will never draw you in, either. It is not as good as pulp fiction, but if you expected it to be, you must be silly. Watch it with an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised! It is a treasure!

A Fun Movie

[White Dolphin · 5 April 2001]

As I was flicking through channels one night I just caught the beginning of a film. It was probably the names of Swoozie Kurtz and Meat Loaf that made me go 'what the heck, I'll watch'. The acting is not superb, but the film doesn't demand great acting. The script isn't brilliant, but the film doesn't demand a great script. Taj Mahal (an interesting name) is the highlight as latenight radio host Dix Mayal. A few gory scenes but interesting to see how the night progresses.

Uneven character-driven neo-noir thriller

[BlueFormicaHalo · 8/10 · 7 July 1999]

When a movie slightly reminds you of Oliver Stone's western noir "U-Turn", yah that one movie that tried way too hard to be cool and expected to make money just because of Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, and Nick Nolte, its not a good sign. But thankfully, "Outside Ozona" is better. Barely released in theatres, this character driven suspense thriller carries around a very diverse cast which ranges from Robert Forster (best known for his Oscar-nominated turn in "Jackie Brown") to former bombshell Sherilyn Fenn to Meat Loaf. All of the characters are oddly connected by listening to their radios to a certain dj (Taj Mahal). Although "Ozona" does make some good points about things like God and such, its dark and cynical tone is almost ruined by the characters played by Kevin Pollack and Penelope Ann Miller (their romance just raises the camp level and nothing else) and the chiched dialogue that shows up every once in a while.

Not very unique, but an overall decent flick. Two and a Half Stars out of Four.

If you like Stephen King dramas, you'll probably like this too.

[konayoda · 8/10 · 7 September 2018]

How have I not heard of this movie in 20 years? (Written and directed by J. S. Cardone) With a bit of gore, nudity at a strip club, a good storyline, a little romantic longing, and characters that you can care about. (I'm not a fan of King books, but I almost always like the movies they make from them. The pace of Outside Ozona resembles Misery, The Green Mile, Stand By Me, Shawshank Redemption, Secret Window...) There's not a whole lot of excitement (like Cujo), but the stories have a nice steady pace, with a fairly cool climax when they all come together. It's not a movie for my top 10 list (hence 8 stars instead of 10), but it is one that I will tell others about, because I'd never heard of it in 20 years, and probably never would have if I hadn't been on page 46 of my Amazon Prime list of movies.

Pulp Fiction?

[revbighig · 9/10 · 10 September 2013]

Don't compare this with Pulp Fiction, or any other movie for that matter. Just watch it, not as a critic, but as a peeping tom looking into the real lives of real people. There are many times I prefer unknown actors in a movie because I can avoid preconceptions and watch the characters, not the actors. Yet even though I knew quite a few of these actors, I was able to lose myself in the people they created -- real people, like many I've met, hung with, talked to, cared about. I enjoyed this film, the laughs, surprises, interactions and shocks and I think reg'lar fellas (and gals) will too. It's kicking around Showtime, and you should catch it.

Riders on the storm

[dbdumonteil · 7 December 2003]

There's a killer on the road.

But the movie would have been much better ,if this character had been ruled out.Because the killer who kills in the name of Jesus has become a cliché.Ditto for the "radio vérité".

What remains is good indeed:best performance is given by Robert Forster who portrays a trucker with a golden heart;more than his sympathy for the young Indian ,it's his scene with the dog that will move you:as simple as it can be ,it goes straight to the heart.The clown and his wife are also endearing characters ,with their clumsiness.The writers have succeeded in giving their men and women some substance,which is quite a feat for a relatively short movie .And there are a lot of "stories" in the story ,like the tale of the elephant.The Indian girl,her grandma,the trucker,the two sisters and the circus people tell us a lot about us,and it becomes a good "road movie by night".But the thriller side,the killer,it was not so necessary ,and the last scene is too long and comes as an anticlimax.

Better than its current low rating anyway

Not very satisfying

[jtur88 · 12 March 2001]

This movie had a lot of outstanding actors in it, but none of them were impressive. In general, the script was wooden and none of the people reading it were very convincing. Also, the geography was a mess. whoever wrote the script apparently thinks Texas is about the size of San Bernardino County.

How to spend 100 minutes in the middle of the night.

[mo-dan · 14 June 2000]

Stumbled across this film late at night on The Movie Channel. Became intrigued when I saw Taj Mahal (one of my favorite musicians)listed in the opening cast. While this film is not for everyone, there are many films that are a bigger waste of 100 minutes of one's time. I tend to like "quirky" films outside the mainstream, so that mostly explains why I liked it. It probably wouldn't have done much in wide theatrical release, but it is better than most straight-to-video, made-for-cable/TV movies. Generally a good cast. Sometimes drags a bit, but you could do a lot worse.

Outside Ozona, the Hollywood blueprint on Cliche film making.

[dan-449 · 20 October 2001]

We find ourselves just outside the small town of Ozona, What now?

Several characters asking the same question, in a film written and directed by J.S. Cardone. A great collection of notable actors and actresses wonderfully holding together a script that lacked not in originality but mostly in thought.

Where did they go wrong?

Printing it on celluloid is one answer.

But beyond that, there were several wonderfully written characters that on their own, could have held up perfectly in other films. It was as if the writer, had ideas for several films and threw them into a feature length blender named Ozona. If the writer had maintained the characters separately there may have been some other notable features available rather than this.

Now we are sitting at home watching a film that should be instead, the film school blueprint to Hollywood cliches. I do give the actors or actresses that were in this film the chance to remove it from their resume, and continue on with their lives in hopes of rebuilding their careers.

In my personal advice, save your money, rent... a good film... Any other video on the shelf will do, please just avoid this one.