Edward Drake's new noir thriller, Gasoline Alley, is set up for failure. Drake has been pumping out critically-panned flicks multiple times a year, often featuring the Gasoline Alley star Bruce Willis. His track record and the film's tried premise spell disaster for the thriller. However, Gasoline Alley is somehow able to present a fun noir premise that may not be original but is wacky enough to be worthy of a late-night watch on a rainy night. It's not quality cinema, but the film's completely game cast, classic noir moments, and sequences of pure, unadulterated, so-bad-it's-good schlock make Gasoline Alley a mild but fun action thriller.
Gasoline Alley follows tattoo artist Jimmy Jayne (Devon Sawa), who is suspected of the murder of multiple Hollywood starlets by Detective Vargas (Luke Wilson) and his partner Detective Freeman (Bruce Willis). Jimmy, who grew fond of one of the slain girls before her death, decides to try to clear his name and solve the crime himself. However, Jimmy gets in way over his head when he starts to uncover a dark plot that involves many men of power.
Gasoline Alley is ultimately a silly good time. It never breaks any new ground and sometimes feels like parody when it shouldn't. However, it exudes a certain entertaining energy that makes the film fun to watch for the right audience in the right situation. The movie manages to successfully tell a proper noir story that feels like a hang-out movie, with mysterious characters and wacky situations occurring right and left. Gasoline Alley may not be the most memorable or original noir thriller, but its story is thorough enough to be entertaining and its action sequences work.
The cast is really what holds this film together. Willis, who has been delivering lambasted performances one after another for years now, is having a good time here in a smaller but important role. Devon Sawa is effective as the stereotypically macho protagonist, a familiar lead in a movie like this. Luke Wilson is surprisingly funny, delivering his almost-clever quips with ease. Nothing terribly unexpected ever occurs in this film, but there is something worthwhile about watching a group of actors you never expected to film together in a movie that shouldn't work but somehow does.
Gasoline Alley contains laughable self-seriousness that would be brilliant if this was satire. Nevertheless, it provides some excellent so-bad-it's-good content that will keep viewers entertained. The script is surprisingly witty at times, and the convoluted plot does eventually come together in an acceptable way. Some characters randomly appear in the film and are supposed to be important, but get lost in Gasoline Alley's story. Instead of feeling like a plot hole, these appearances actually seem to suit the noir format. The movie is still mostly ridiculous, however, with an ending that feels like a shoot-'em-up video game tacked on to a mystery tale. Altogether, Gasoline Alley is a strange blend of serious noir, accidental self-parody, and a Bruce Willis-action flick that will certainly be enjoyed by the right audience.