Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2014

A Hollywood couple’s Bentley breaks down in the desert. They are taken in by a young hermit, but shelter turns into captivity when the boy starts eyeballing the woman. River Phoenix died of an overdose in 1993 shortly before shooting was completed, and the film was shelved. But a few years ago, director George Sluizer decided, for reasons of either desperation or egotism, that if he narrated a few of the missing scenes, we could all benefit from it. Jonathan Pryce and Judy Davis are good; they’re pros. River seems, well, stoned. At best a curiosity, at worst a pretentious bore. Should have left it in the can. (86 min)