Every Oliver Stone Movie Ranked Worst To Best

We've reached the middle of the road in Oliver Stone's work and the 1997 release U Turn is very much a film of two halves. It's a crime thriller with heavy trappings in the neo-noir style and based on the novel: "Stray Dogs" by John Ridley.

In the run-down areas of Arizona, the lone wanderer Bobby Cooper (Sean Penn) is running from his debt to a ruthless gangster when he stumbles across a married couple. Jake and Grace McKenna (played by Nick Nolte and Jennifer Lopez respectively). From here, a cycle of violence and assassination attempts ensues.

To create a more coarse and unflinching backdrop, Stone and the production team shot the film entirely with reversal stock 5239. The film's violent nature is also personified by actors like Billy Bob Thornton and Joaquin Phoenix. Despite these elements, U Turn was still met with a mixed reception on release, not to mention a lowered box office taking.

U Turn offers a brutal take on the neo-noir genre and through its smaller, more contained narrative, the harsh and unforgiving tone is stamped onto the audience effortlessly. It can be enjoyed as a straightforward thriller by general audiences. Simultaneously though, it also lacks the more thought-provoking content of Stone's other productions.