Directed by Bob Rafelson • 1981 • United States
Starring Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos

Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange smolder in this erotically charged take on James M. Cain’s hard-boiled novel, kicking off the wave of stylish neonoirs that would proliferate in the 1980s. She’s the restless wife of a gruff, middle-aged roadhouse owner, and he’s the unscrupulous drifter who catches her eye. Torn between a desperate need for each other and their desire for money, they plot a murder that leads to shattering consequences.