A dystopian thriller with Dwayne Johnson in one of his first ever acting roles has been panned as a cult classic, almost 20 years since its premiere.
Southland Tales, directed by Richard Kelly, is a black comedy thriller with a star-studded ensemble cast.
Alongside Johnson is Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, and Justin Timberlake.
Southland Tales is set in a dystopian United States under the threat of nuclear attack, and follows the stories of three people whose lives become intertwined.
Johnson plays a movie star called Boxer Santaros who is planning his next film with the help of Krysta Now, an adult film actress (played by Gellar). It is available to buy on Amazon and Apple TV.
The film premiered in 2006 and was released theatrically in 2007 to a polarised audience. It only made $374,743 during its international theatre run, and reviewers criticised its long run time of 144 minutes. It was famously savaged at the Cannes Film Festival, with critics throwing around words like “mess”, “disastrous”, and “plotless”. However, in the following years, it developed something of a cult following thanks to its sheer uniqueness.
One reviewer wrote on IMDb that the film is “sci-fi meets drama meets art meets philosophy”, adding: “Southland Tales is deep, honest, and complex. This film requires more than one viewing, period. If you’ve drawn your conclusion from one viewing, you’ve already missed the point. Also, if Donnie Darko was too weird for you and Transformers 2, et. al, is your kind of movie, stay away from this.”
Another said: “Wow! One of the more interesting and stimulating films I’ve seen in a while. Southland Tales is like David Lynch meets Mel Brooks meets Robert Altman meets Mathew Barney meets Baywatch. Jam packed with ideas and passion this film is all over the place and should be seen with an open mind and by no means try to figure it out while you are watching. Just enjoy.”
A third acknowledged that the film may try to wrap itself around too many different subjects but wrote: “In any event, it is mighty fun, entertaining and interesting, which is more than enough for me.”
In 2019, 13 years on, Johnson said that “Southland Tales hurt”. He told IndieWire: “I took it in the gut. We all went into that movie having so much trust, and a script that was complex and interesting. At times, you’re like, ‘What the f*** is going on?’ Richard Kelly, who was a good friend, was so passionate about that movie.”
He said he remembered the cast’s publicists “sweating” after the film’s screening at Cannes. Johnson recalled: “It was tough because we went all the way over there and we were shrouded in mystery. We were the movie that everyone wanted to see, but we had no business being at Cannes, because it was unfinished.”