Kalifornia (1993)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jens S

  
  Very few people would dare to question Brad Pitt's versatility today. That was different in the early 90s, when he was still underestimated as just another pretty face. Undeservedly so, as this early work in his oeuvre shows. He has hardly ever been as menacing, unpredictable and… More
  Very few people would dare to question Brad Pitt's versatility today. That was different in the early 90s, when he was still underestimated as just another pretty face. Undeservedly so, as this early work in his oeuvre shows. He has hardly ever been as menacing, unpredictable and merciless as in this thriller about an author taking a road trip to famous murder sites and sharing gas costs with a white trash couple. As brilliant as Pitt is, he is even outshined by Juliette Lewis as dumb but sweet bimbo. As the trip turns more and more into a nightmare for the yuppie couple, the violence is ruthless, realistic and ugly, as in real life. While our protagonist ("Mulder" David Duchovny) is looking for an explanation for the mindset of serial killers, the film has no answers to the questions of the their motifs. Which just makes it even more unpleasant and important. Well done.

• Manu G

  
  Fear never travels alone Good movie. It gets better as it goes along. Not only is the story very impressive, so is the acting from our four leads. Overall this is a very good and impressive psychological thriller with a very powerful story. Brian Kessler, a journalist researching… More
  Fear never travels alone Good movie. It gets better as it goes along. Not only is the story very impressive, so is the acting from our four leads. Overall this is a very good and impressive psychological thriller with a very powerful story. Brian Kessler, a journalist researching serial killers, and his photographer girlfriend Carrie set out on a cross-country tour of the sites of the killings. Sharing the ride and their expenses are Early Grayce, a paroled white trash criminal, and his girlfriend Adele. As the trip progresses, Early begins to appear more and more unstable, and Brian and Carrie begin to fear that they may have a real-life killer in the back seat of their car.

• Bethany M

  
  Really great film. Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis are excellent together and Brad Pitt really makes you shiver with his outstanding performance as a serial killer. David Duchovny also plays a great role, making empathetic towards him and rooting for him. Definitely a must see!

• Melvin W

  
  Kalifornia is an amazing look at the lack of morals and guilt that a sociopathic killer has. Brad Pitt gives what I believe to be one of his best performances as killer Early Grayce. He transforms himself into a haunting portrait of a deranged serial killer. The movie asks it's… More
  Kalifornia is an amazing look at the lack of morals and guilt that a sociopathic killer has. Brad Pitt gives what I believe to be one of his best performances as killer Early Grayce. He transforms himself into a haunting portrait of a deranged serial killer. The movie asks it's viewers many questions throughout the movie through Early's actions. What is the reason for his madness? What is different from him and everyone else, that allows him to kill without remorse? Kalifornia openly asks these questions but never answers them, which is the right thing to do. We don't know what makes Early kill. He doesn't even know. At one point he's asked and his only response is,"Huh,huh." All we know is some people are inherently evil and Early is one of them.

• Lady D

  
  Now here?s a film to challenge any Brad Pitt admirers out there, you can practically smell him in this film and that?s exactly the kind of roles I prefer him to play, also back when Juliette Lewis was at her unique best. David Duchovny's character gets more than he bargained… More
  Now here?s a film to challenge any Brad Pitt admirers out there, you can practically smell him in this film and that?s exactly the kind of roles I prefer him to play, also back when Juliette Lewis was at her unique best. David Duchovny's character gets more than he bargained for, when his interest in Serial Killers become a little too close to home and a shared road trip that starts with a class divide and soon identifies the other different along the way. For nostalgia?s sake this is still one I watch over and over.

• Summer W

  
  A bit lacking in production, but an excellent story (not to mention a knockout performance by Brad Pitt).

• Dan S

  
  An unremittingly bleak, unforgettably disturbing, powerful piece of film concerning a writer and an artist (David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes, respectively) and a white trash couple (Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis) who carpool together across the USA in hopes of reaching California -… More
  An unremittingly bleak, unforgettably disturbing, powerful piece of film concerning a writer and an artist (David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes, respectively) and a white trash couple (Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis) who carpool together across the USA in hopes of reaching California - where dreams come true. Only problem - writer Duchovny doesn't realize that one of the many serial killers he is trying to understand is sitting right in the back of his car. This is a movie that is anchored by four megawatt performances (including Juliette Lewis! An incredible shocker for me) and one that goes all-out in its jolting finale. This is by far the best work Brad Pitt has ever turned in, as he creates an uncompromisingly sadistic, shallow character that is so stripped of basic emotions he becomes more and more ferociously terrifying as the film proceeds. The movie falls in that dreaded territory of "good, but probably won't want to see it again due to how depressing it is", however. It is definitely not for everyone, but it is irrefutably an original, effectively made piece concerning a very dangerous (and all to seemingly real) character that won't exit your mind quickly by any means.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"fear never travels alone"</i> A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"fear never travels alone"</i> A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> It is too bad that Pitt stopped playing maniacs - he has quite the propensity for it. Although Kalifornia is a low-budget psychological thriller that predates Silence of the Lambs, Seven, or Copycat, this movie offers much for the fan of the major actors or for the genre itself. Duchovny plays a writer who decides to visit major serial killer sites along his way to Los Angeles (sense trouble already?). Pitt and Juliette Lewis come along for the ride and offer Duchovny the live version of what he is trying to capture. Although the psychology is simple compared to later trips into this area (and the plot is relatively predictable), Kalifornia remains a disturbing production - the fear that our macabre interests may fulfill themselves.

• Dean !

  
  A decent thriller on the road film as a serial killer joins a couple cruising around the US looking at sites infamous with serial killers of the past. It has a strong cast, a little rough around the edges but Pitt will keep your interest until the end. Even if it isn't the… More
  A decent thriller on the road film as a serial killer joins a couple cruising around the US looking at sites infamous with serial killers of the past. It has a strong cast, a little rough around the edges but Pitt will keep your interest until the end. Even if it isn't the greatest plot for a thriller.

• Coxxie M

  
  Brad Pitt plays pretty much the same character in Assasination of Jesse James except he has a cowboy hat. Nobody seemed to notice. only he could pull it off.

• Eric S

  
  The character work by Brad Pitt as Early Grayson is brilliant! The film is about a writer(David Duchovny) with a fascination for serial killers who plans a road trip through mass-murder landmarks for ideas on how to finish his latest writing project. He and his photographer… More
  The character work by Brad Pitt as Early Grayson is brilliant! The film is about a writer(David Duchovny) with a fascination for serial killers who plans a road trip through mass-murder landmarks for ideas on how to finish his latest writing project. He and his photographer girlfriend(Michelle Forbes) advertise for riding partners to share expenses while on their jouney to Los Angeles, California. Their ad is answered by Early and his cowed girlfriend who is very well portrayed by Juliette Lewis; and turns out to give more than ideas for the blocked writer.

• Anthony L

  
  I really liked it when it first came out, not so much now on a resent re-watch, it?s become a bit of a cult classic now though. Juliette Lewis does annoy me at times, she's a much better singer!

• Martin S

  
  I just watched a random movie. And it was good. Brad Pitt is one bad dude.

• Daniel J D

  
  Formulaic yet a genuine thriller, thrilling in no small part due to Brad Pitt's wonderfully psychotic character. Ironically, he's also the funniest character in the movie--laugh-out-loud funny. That said, I suffered a couple… More
  Formulaic yet a genuine thriller, thrilling in no small part due to Brad Pitt's wonderfully psychotic character. Ironically, he's also the funniest character in the movie--laugh-out-loud funny. That said, I suffered a couple oh-my-god-that-can't-be-a-woman-it-must-be-a-man-eurysms throughout the movie. *cough* Juliette Lewis, Michelle Forbes *cough*

• Michael S

  
  Sadly overshadowed by NBKs.

• xGary X

  
  An obvious attempt to cling onto the Quentin Tarantino bandwagon, this sensationalist and rather ugly film would probably have been forgotten if it weren't for the cast. Unfortunately, all the characters are unsympathetic and their relationships unbelievable; only Brad Pitts… More
  An obvious attempt to cling onto the Quentin Tarantino bandwagon, this sensationalist and rather ugly film would probably have been forgotten if it weren't for the cast. Unfortunately, all the characters are unsympathetic and their relationships unbelievable; only Brad Pitts gleefully amoral thug sticks in the memory.

• Candy R

  
  Not my cup off tea. Brad's a serial killer on a roadtrip.

• Dean M

  
  Good chilling psychodrama and darkly comic road movie.

• Michael G

  
  Brad Pitt steals the show.

• Burger S

  
  Juliette Lewis is unappealing in every way. You just look at that photo of her with Brad Pitt when they were dating. I think it was the Oscars. She's rocking cornrows. The look on Brad's face is like "I was way too drunk when we hooked up. How did I end up here with… More
  Juliette Lewis is unappealing in every way. You just look at that photo of her with Brad Pitt when they were dating. I think it was the Oscars. She's rocking cornrows. The look on Brad's face is like "I was way too drunk when we hooked up. How did I end up here with you? Anyone have Paltrow's number handy?" Duchovny is a pro as always.

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