Reviews from the Vault: Kalifornia (1992)

Dominic Sena's Kalifornia tells the story of a serial killer-enthused journalist named Brian Kessler (David Dachovny) and his partner Carrie (Michelle Forbes). The duo suits up for a road trip to travel the country stopping at famous murder sights as Brian writes his novel with the final destination being California. A white-trash couple-- Early (Brad Pitt) and Adele (Juliette Lewis)-- having had their sites set on California for some time, decide to ride along. As the trip continues, Early's twisted side becomes more and more apparent, leading Brian and Carrie to believe that they may be in the very presence of a killer. Kalifornia is tense, not only in its final scenes, but from the moment the protagonist is placed in a car with a mad man. The viewer knows from the first thirty seconds of the film that Early is a deranged sociopath. It is the characters that are ignorant of the danger they are in, leaving the viewer on the edge of their seat awaiting conflict. Unlike similar thrillers, Kalifornia does not end moments after the good guys find out who the bad guy is-- there's another thirty minutes of tension that follow, inclining to a triumphant ending. With a disturbing performance from Pitt accompanied by his passionately naive partner well played by Juliette Lewis, and a convincing portrayal of a dedicated journalist by Dachovny along-side his increasingly suspicious partner (Forbes), the viewer is equally attached to both couples of the film. Kalifornia delivers the chills and thrills that the premise promises, earning it a solid 3 stars.