Film Review: Blind Horizon (2003)

Some of the most prominent roles in the career of Val Kilmer involved characters who, for one reason or another, end up in remote areas of the US Southwest. Another addition to that collection is the protagonist of Blind Horizon, a 2003 thriller directed by Michael Haussman. The plot is set in rural New Mexico and begins when an unconscious man (played by Kilmer) is found by two ranch hands. He is brought to a hospital where he recovers from head injuries under the care of a nurse named Liz (played by Amy Smart). When he wakes up, it turns out that he suffers from amnesia and the only clue to his identity is a document with the name “Frank Kavanaugh.” The whole matter is investigated by Sheriff Jack Kolb (played by Sam Shepard), who becomes intrigued when Frank starts getting memory flashbacks that hint he was a witness to a conspiracy against the life of the US President, led by the mysterious and sinister figure of Mrs. K (played by Faye Dunaway). Dr. Conway (played by Gil Bellows), however, thinks that these are paranoid delusions caused by the trauma. Sheriff Kolb still believes there is some validity to Frank’s story, but later a woman named Chloe Richards (played by Neve Campbell) arrives and claims to be Frank’s fiancée. This coincides with the news that the US President and his entourage are to visit the area.

Blind Horizon was a low-budget production, shot on location in New Mexico because it was partially financed by that state’s investment funds. The script by F. Paul Benz and Steve Tomlin isn’t particularly original, as it uses a premise very close to Ludlum’s novel The Bourne Identity and a Belgian comic book series XIII. The premise is, however, intriguing enough to catch the audience’s attention, and Benz and Tomlin fill the plot with a number of interesting characters and red herrings. The cast, led by the always dependable Kilmer, is truly superb and includes Neve Campbell playing a mysterious quasi-femme fatale, renowned actor Sam Shepard who brings gravitas to the whole proceeding, and the charming Amy Smart in the role of an unconventional nurse. The elderly character actor Noble Willingham also leaves a good impression in his last role as Kolb’s deputy. All these efforts, however, are undermined by the awful direction from Michael Haussman, a filmmaker who made his name in music videos and apparently tries to remind the audience of that fact with slow motion and other “clever” tricks that become increasingly annoying and confuse the audience. Despite the strong cast, Blind Horizon failed to secure theatrical distribution, and people who encountered this film in video stores wouldn’t be much surprised when they learn about that.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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