“Trouble in Mind” (1985) written & directed by Alan Rudolph; starring Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine, Lori Singer and Geneviève Bujold / Z-View

Trouble in Mind (1985)

Director:  Alan Rudolph

Screenplay: Alan Rudolph

Stars: Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine, Lori Singer, Geneviève Bujold, Joe Morton, Divine, George Kirby, John Considine, Dirk Blocker, Gailard Sartain, Allan F. Nicholls and Albert Hall.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

As Walter Hill said about Streets of Fire… it takes place in another time and another place.  Trouble in Mind is set in Rain City.

John Hawkins, Hawk to his friends, has just been released from prison.  Hawk did a stretch for murder.  He was a cop who killed a gangster.  It cost Hawk his job and eight years of his life.  But he’d do it again to protect the ones he loves.  These days he hangs out at Wanda’s Cafe as he decides what’s next.

Coop and Georgia are a young couple with a baby named Spike.  They hoped Rain City would provide them a fresh start.  Money is tight despite Georgia getting a job as a waitress at Wanda’s Cafe.  So Coop starts taking jobs for a crook named Solo.  As the money starts coming in Coop begins to believe he’s cut out to be a gangster.

Hawk is attracted to Georgia.  He knows where the path Coop is taking leads. He wants to save Georgia from the heartache.  Georgia is torn.  She loved the man her husband used to be.  She’s got to do what’s best for her and her child.

Coop and Solo’s crimes have put them at odds with another gangster.  Hawk and Coop are also headed for a showdown.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Roger Ebert wrote Trouble in Mind “is a movie that takes place within our memories of the movies.”  After seeing the film, you’ll understand what he meant.  It has all the tropes you’d expect in a neo-noir but with flourishes that work in “another time, another place” or dream settings.

Trouble in Mind (1985) rates 3 of 5 stars.