Trivia / Red Rock West

• Acclaimed Flop: The film received critical acclaim and is generally considered an unheralded classic of neo-noir.
• Actor Allusion: Lara Flynn Boyle played an apparently unhinged Gun Nut who falls out of a relationship with a man named Wayne in Wayne's World.
• Actor-Inspired Element: Dwight Yoakam brought his own pistol for his role as the Truck Driver.
• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $8 million. Box office, $2,551,502.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Originally John Dahl wanted Dennis Hopper to play either Wayne Brown or the Sheriff, but he insisted on playing Lyle from Dallas. Hopper eventually convinced the producers who were thrilled with the end result.
• Creator Killer: The film's lack of financial success killed the writing career of director John Dahl after he wrote three movies.
• Invisible Advertising: Test screenings for the film were not strong and Peter Graves, an independent consultant who headed the marketing department at Polygram said, "The film doesn't fall neatly into any marketable category. A western film noir isn't something people can immediately spark to". One of the producers suggested early on that the film be submitted to the Sundance Film Festival and was told by the studio that it wasn't a festival film. Columbia Pictures sold the film to cable and it was shown seven times on HBO in the fall of 1993.
• Throw It In!: When Wayne is revealed to be the town Sheriff in the hospital emergency room, it was J. T. Walsh's idea that he reveal himself by slowly raising his head up with the brim of his cowboy hat and looking directly into the camera.
• What Could Have Been: Dennis Hopper suggested that John Dahl should consider Kris Kristofferson for the leading role. Kristofferson was at a low point in his career at the time, mainly appearing as the lead in made for TV-movies. He had a packed schedule and declined without reading the script.

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