THERE'S usually only one reason why distributors fail to show their films to critics - they're desperately trying to postpone hostile reviews by a couple of days. Fortunately, Kalifornia is available in Hong Kong already on laserdisc, so the secret is out. It's rubbish.
In fact, Kalifornia is so bad, it may attract an audience on the grounds that it almost works as a comedy. It could even become a cult classic; it has all the hallmarks. Over-the-top acting, poor editing, a ridiculous plot, risable psychobabble, and a chain-smoking woman in black underwear.
Kalifornia, directed by Dominic Sena, is another instalment in Hollywood's obsession with serial killers (for the definitive statement, wait for Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers). As you might expect by now, the murderer is a redneck who wears sweat-stained T-shirts; he goes by the name of Early Grayce (Brad Pitt).
Early has a seemingly retarded girlfriend named Adele (Juliette Lewis), who fails to notice him digging a huge pit outside their mobile home in which to place the body of a neighbour. Early, we learn, is an ignorant malcontent who snorts and spits a lot, scratches his armpits and readjusts his genitals to underscore a plot point.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, two disaffected yuppies are planning a cross-country ride to California. Brian (David Duchovny), an aspiring author who is obsessed with serial killers, and his girlfriend Carrie (Michelle Forbes), a black-bra-wearing, soft-porn photographer, decide to stop off at the scenes of famous American murders en route.
Even though Brian and Carrie live in a lovely apartment and wear very nice threads, they need to find a couple to share the cost of petrol on the way across America. In a rather unlikely plot twist, Early and Adele volunteer their services. Hey presto! Brian ends up closer to a real-life serial killer than he ever imagined.