The rules of "dog bites dog" couldn't be simpler: fifty dollars per person, and the winner brings the ugliest girl.
In 1990, independent film director Nancy Savoca recruited 19-year-old River Phoenix and 23-year-old Lili Taylor to complete a tender anti-war film with her.
The story takes place in San Francisco in the 1960s. Four Marines (Richard Panebianco as Berzine; Mitchell Whitfield as Benjamin; Anthony Clark as Orchi; River Phoenix as Eddie) are about to leave for Vietnam, except to form a squad of four bees and vow not to take prisoners Instead of surrendering, they also prepared an exciting and unforgettable "dog bite dog" party for their last night in the United States. Each person puts 50 yuan as a bet, and then tries to find ugly girls as party partners. The girls will not know that when they step on the dance floor and dance with the soldiers, it is the moment when the final judgment is finalized, and they are judged. Win $100 for her dance partner for the ugliest girl. Eddie, one of the team members, was repeatedly rejected because of his bad apprenticeship. A sudden heavy rain brought him to the cafe, where he met Rose (Lili Taylor), a cafe girl who was talking about guitar, and the story officially began. The little flat-headed River, who hasn't turned into Idaho's Mike Waters, raised his hands and looked up like a big version of Chris Chambers. Lili Taylor's singing voice was as warm as rain, and her winking eyes were flowing, watching the sunrise as River ran all the way into San Francisco... A few years later, it was still the streets of San Francisco, and the three hoods of the Marine Corps were missing. The street is full of colorful hippies. Eddie, who was limping with four bees tattooed on his arm, returned to the cafe back then. Rose, who had become the proprietress, stepped forward and hugged him tightly. The story ends here, perhaps far from it.
The 1960s in the United States was a complex, profound, serious, and bewildering era. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, the landing of humans on the moon, Khrushchev's threat to destroy America... Nancy Savoca has done her homework to restore it, all The selection of the soundtrack directly points to the anti-war theme, and the subtleties of the dialogue can better reflect the sincere reflection of the director.
A good movie that has been overlooked by Phoenix River. It is not pretentious or heavy, and it is simple, fresh and lovely. In the gentle night of San Francisco, when Bob Dylan sings slowly, let's be the audience and feel such a story.
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