A man lacking any moral compass finds himself caught between a young, innocent girl and an unfaithful married woman in Texas. Don Johnson portrays a man in his mid-30s who arrives in a small town near Austin and uses his charm to secure a job selling used cars. He attracts the attention of the owner’s alluring wife (Virginia Madsen), while also developing interest in a charming young woman working at the dealership (Jennifer Connelly) and, notably, a local bank. Dennis Hopper directed "The Hot Spot" (1990), a Southern Gothic neo-noir adaptation of Charles Williams’ 1953 book “Hell Hath No Fury” (also known as “The Hot Spot”). The initial script given to the cast was written by Mike Figgis, but Hopper replaced it with a screenplay from 1962 by Williams & Nona Tyson just three days before filming began. I mention this because the first portion of the film feels sluggish and unfocused. Imagine combining the sultry atmosphere of Tennessee Williams’ “The Fugitive Kind” (1960) with the more contemporary feel of "Two Moon Junction" (1988), and you'll have something akin to this movie. It has some appealing aspects, such as the three lead actors, the intense heat of the Southern landscape, the Hamilton Pool, and an abandoned sawmill. It feels like a Tarantino film set in the Deep South, but without any memorable dialogue. The subplot involving blackmail with William Sadler seems forced and predictable. Hopper initially wanted Mickey Rourke for the main role, which might have contributed to the film’s problems from the start. I will say that Johnson embodies cool effortlessly and he was perfectly suited for his part; however, his character, Harry, is simply dishonorable and therefore deserves scorn, even though he also possesses a surprising tough side. If you're looking for something similar but better, consider Michael Cimino’s undervalued “Desperate Hours” (1990), which arrived in theaters just one week prior. The movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 10 minutes and was filmed across several Texas locations: Taylor (for the bank robbery scene), northeast of Austin; Luling (at an old sawmill), south of Austin; and Dripping Springs (for the swimming scenes), west of Austin. The opening sequence featuring sand dunes was shot at Monahans Sandhills State Park, situated along I-20 between Pecos and Midway, approximately 25 miles from New Mexico’s border. GRADE: C+

Source on TMDB