U Turn

"Sex. Murder. Betrayal. Everything that makes life worth living."

1997 2h 5m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🥫

59%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 851🥫59%Rotten Tomatoes●54Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 56,886

CrimeDramaThrillerRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a desperate man’s car breaks down in a bizarre desert town while evading vengeful bookies, he becomes entangled in a dangerous love triangle. Caught between a married couple, he’s faced with deadly contracts to kill them both.

“Sex. Murder. Betrayal. Everything that makes life worth living.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sean Penn
Bobby Cooper
Nick Nolte
Jake McKenna
Jennifer Lopez
Grace McKenna
Joaquin Phoenix
Toby N. Tucker
Claire Danes
Jenny
Powers Boothe
Sheriff Virgil Potter
Billy Bob Thornton
Darrell
Jon Voight
Blind Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Oliver Stone
Writers: John Ridley
Languages: English
Countries: France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 35% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Oliver Stone, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thomas J. Nordberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sean Penn and Nick Nolte and Jennifer Lopez carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Sex. Murder. Betrayal. Everything that makes life worth living.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Oliver Stone directs. Robert Richardson behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Thomas J. Nordberg cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 35% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.
4Directed by Oliver Stone, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Thomas J. Nordberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Sean Penn and Nick Nolte and Jennifer Lopez carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Sex. Murder. Betrayal. Everything that makes life worth living.".
9IMDB entry: tt0120399 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "small town", "robbery", "gambling debt", "arizona".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Richardson
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Thomas J. Nordberg
Production design: Victor Kempster
Costume design: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
Makeup / hair: Ken Diaz
Sound: Brad Sherman
Stunt coordinator: Tierre Turner
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $19,000,000
Box office: $6,682,098
Return: 35% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: U Turn (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes: 59% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 54/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 56,886 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Oliver Stone

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

LJ_9892014-04-10
★ 9/10
Classic Post Natural Born Killers Stone. With a hint of Tarantino this twisted thriller has a host of weird characters. A young Joaquin Phoenix plays TNT a spurned lover that is unforgettable. Billy Bob Thornton plays a hill billy mechanic from Superior, Arizona and he alone makes the movie worth it. Penn is back to a bitchy character that he so often portrays to a tee. Good flick.

Production companies