U Turn

U Turn (1997)

  • 59% of critics liked it
    (49 reviews)

  • 57% of users liked it
    (30,823 ratings)

Oliver Stone directed this John Ridley screenplay adapted from Ridley's novel Stray Dogs. A drifter (Sean Penn) eludes Las Vegas collection agents and arrives in a small town where he decides to linger after his car has a breakdown. Here he gets involved with the locals, including an unhappily… More

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
John Ridley
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
In Theaters
Oct 3, 1997 Wide
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    The stylistic fun Stone has in dramatizing this crime of passion thoroughly revitalizes the well-worked genre.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    Penn turns in a crisp, unfussy comic performance, Lopez vamps like a scorpion in heat, Nolte sustains a pretty good John Huston impression, and Thornton is mighty peculiar as the mechanic from hell.

  • Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

    It's a disappointing ride.

  • Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

    It's so empty emotionally it's difficult to see what the point is, unless it's the celebration of emptiness, an aim that has become so familiar recently it hardly seems worth the trouble everyone has gone to.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    U-Turn becomes a showcase for the filmmaker's terrific arsenal of visual mannerisms and free-association imagery.

Read all 18 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Bruce B


    A very poor movie for Sean Penn, don't think this one did much for him. Its one of those movies you start to watch and think about turning it off, but you watch till the end just to see if something happens. 2 stars. 8-20-12

  • Lucas M


    Oliver Stone's surreal nightmare.

  • Tsubaki S


    Many ripped this one, and while you can easily point a bunch of really annoying things going on (Lopez character and Penn beign tricked again and again) this is an enjoyable romp for us who prefer more acid and less optimistic stories. Not to mention that compared with what Stone has… More

  • Conner R


    An amazing Neo-Noir/Western that's almost impossible to not enjoy on at least some level. The story is incredibly well-written and the characters are perfectly twisted. Sean Penn delivers a great performance as Bobby Cooper, in debt and in need of a break. There's also soe… More

  • Anthony L


    Underrated film, it?s one of my favourite Stone pictures!

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Currently unavailable on Flixster

Also available on

Other Retailers

Not Available
Not Available

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (16)

Trailers & Clips