How a film comes into being can be just as important as what you’re watching during the film itself.
The terms and conditions art is produced under always heavily influence the end product, and in some cases, can be the key to understanding the work itself.
On paper, Straight to Hell already sounds insane from the get-go.
Alex Cox directing Joe Strummer, Courtney Love, Elvis Costello, the Pogues, and Dennis Hopper in an acid Western featuring hitmen on the run with a pregnant woman versus a band of coffee-addicted hillbilly cowboys is a pretty nuts premise.
The film itself feels a bit raw, and a bit unfocused, even by Cox’s standards.
However, a trip into just how this film was made reveals exactly why that is, and what makes Straight to Hell worth watching today.
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