Another 90s movie that completely flew under the radar... I've discovered Kalifornia through the soundtrack. Never heard of it beforehand, so I don't know if it's popular or a classic even. Maybe in the US, but not overseas. And it's a shame, because it's a really good thriller, it is more than thirty years old, but it didn't age at all. The premise, characters, music even, nothing in the movie feels old or outdated. I've discovered Michelle Forbes only recently as well (True Blood), and been a fan ever since. In this movie, she gave her character more depth than the regular big city girl she is on paper. Duchovny was clearly my favorite, because I'm a big fan of his and The X-Files and was thrilled to see the movie was released around the same time the show was beginning to gain popularity. But I didn't like his character at first. It's a pity, but Pitt and Lewis were just passable there too. I don't know what it is about Brad Pitt, but I always feel like something is missing in his a way of portraying rough and rugged men. He ends up looking more goofy than menacing every time, and well, chosen solely for his looks and appeal to the female demographics... Juliette Lewis is just good at playing stupid I guess. I wish I could feel more sympathy for her Adele, but even her recounting of a traumatic experience felt like a requirement to HER character's backstory, and not something that would catch viewers off guard. The yuppie couple ended up being my favorite leads obviously, and those I was rooting for all movie long. Thanks to Forbes and Duchovny's nuanced portrayal of each, they became believable heroes of the story. The violence was nothing too graphic or shocking, it had just the right amount of blood, and shot in a way that could escape censorship. The last battle between Brian and Early was suspenseful, and the makeup effects looked believable (of course anybody who got a shovel to the face, would have his/her nose crooked). That being said, I was never completely convinced by Early being a serial killer. He was violent and had a bad temper (and mother issues), but even his way of picking « father » figures as his victims, didn't help make his profiling more believable. As I was saying earlier, the soundtrack has great songs, and what made most movies of that time feel more wholesome and cinematic. Speaking of which, it has a beautiful cinematography, and I loved « Carrie's » portfolio and style. And haircut too. It's a good movie, more dramatic than you would expect, but one you could imagine yourself seeing in the theater. Which is something that is solely missing these days.