Jim Metzler is George O'Brien, a corporate guy fed up with his boss' stupidity and greed who, because of that, embezzles from his company a nice stash of cash and hightails it from L.A. luxe to barren desert roads. In so doing he finds Patty and Chevy (Jennifer Rubin and Kyle Secor--he of later Homicide fame), a wacked odd young couple who pretend auto hardship to get a lift from George.
Unfortunately they're not telling the truth. Chevy is, shall we say, unstable. And Patty? Hard to say. Rubin makes her a great, sexy femme fatale. The question is, is she REALLY a femme fatale? Or isn't she? Actually, it's Chevy's instability that drives this baby, just like it drives George to do things which, as a conservative business guy, he normally would not do. But of course he's ALREADY done something off the beaten track, stealing the dough. This is a great noir road movie that updates a buncha earlier flicks.
It's given further oomph when Chevy directs George to his pal Larry, Jerry Ohrbach, who Chevy needs to see about some stuff. This is the capper for Chevy's instability--hey, I'm not gonna give anything away here. Check it out yourself, it's worth it.
Patty and Chevy are not always, let's say, compatible. George and Chevy? Same thing. This is a flick that does what it's supposed to do and does a great job, too. You like noir?
Here's a perfect 90s slice of it, pardner. Grab it.
There is more to this movie than just a believable and captivating plot. The dialogue, the acting, soundtrack, props, the interaction between characters -- even the timing and camera work -- are done to complete perfection. The complex personalities of these two misfits, at once threatening and pathetic, unravel on film against a backdrop that gives the film a truly spellbinding atmosphere.
Delusion is a masterpiece that explores the contradictions of human behavior in a way that almost defies comparison. It is full of subtle irony and metaphor, and it builds to a conclusion that is more dramatic than climactic, more satifying than exciting. It is one of a kind, and in my opinion, the greatest film ever made.
