Straight to Hell (1987) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place primarily in a surreal Mexican border town in the desert, after opening in a Los Angeles hotel where three hitmen hide before fleeing. The town is run by the McMahon clan and blends contemporary crime with Western frontier tropes, creating an offbeat, satirical atmosphere.

• mexican border town
• desert setting
• mcmahon clan
• frontier town

Straight to Hell is set in the 1980s, featuring a contemporary setting with road trips, bank jobs, and modern criminal elements. The era's pop-cultural texture of neon lights, casual crime, and variable loyalties shapes the film's tone while maintaining a modern, offbeat Western sensibility.

• 1980s
• contemporary setting
• modern western

Greed is the central theme driving the film. The suitcase of money lures the hitmen, the town, and rival factions, revealing how financial pursuit corrodes trust and destabilizes entire communities. Every character's decisions flow from the chase for this money.

• greed
• money
• suitcase
• corruption

Violence in Straight to Hell is portrayed as a chaotic spectacle that erupts throughout the town, shootouts, hangings, and ambushes turn the setting into a kinetic battleground. The violence consumes both criminals and locals alike, contributing to the film's dark, nihilistic tone.

• violence
• shootouts
• chaos
• nihilism

Loyalty and betrayal are central as alliances form and fracture throughout the film. Fear and profit override loyalties, while romantic entanglements and rivalries complicate everyone's plans, leaving very few true allies by the end.

• loyalty
• betrayal
• alliances
• shifting allegiances

Willy is one of the three hitmen played by Dick Rude. He's a reckless character who pursues money and danger, rarely thinking before acting. His pursuit of Louise adds personal stakes to their escape, and his fate reflects the film's fatalistic tone.

• willy
• dick rude
• hitman
• reckless

Norwood, played by Sy Richardson, is the calculating member of the hitman trio who keeps a cool head amid chaos. He's married to Velma and navigates the town's shifting loyalties with cynicism and practical survival instincts.

• norwood
• sy richardson
• hitman
• calculated

The town is run by the McMahon clan, led by patriarch Frank McMahon. The family includes Bruno McMahon and enforcer Angel-Eyes, who maintain authority through sudden bursts of violence while governing the surreal, caffeine-obsessed community.

• mcmahon clan
• frank mcmahon
• bruno mcmahon
• town authority

The town is defined by its eccentric coffee-obsessed culture where cowboys drink copious amounts of coffee, creating a surreal frontier atmosphere. This quirky detail sets the stage for odd encounters and dangerous confrontations throughout the film.

• coffee
• surreal town
• eccentric cowboys
• quirky setting

The film blends multiple genres including Action, Comedy, Crime, and Western elements with crude humor and satire. It creates a satirical frontier town atmosphere that merges contemporary crime storytelling with classic Western tropes.

• action
• comedy
• crime
• western
• satire
• genre blend

Velma, played by Courtney Love, is Norwood's pregnant wife. She's determined to make a safe exit while navigating the dangerous plans of the men around her, adding moral tension to the story's chaotic events.

• velma
• courtney love
• pregnant wife
• norwood

The film maintains a consistently dark tone driven by nihilism, greed, and fatalistic outcomes. However, this darkness is leavened by absurdist parody elements from the coffee-obsessed setting, creating a blend of dark comedy and satirical Western.

• dark tone
• nihilism
• absurdist
• parody
• satirical

Simms, played by Joe Strummer, is the third member of the hitman trio. He blends rugged endurance with risky impulsiveness and becomes involved in a romantic affair with Fabienne, which raises personal stakes amid the town's violent power struggles.

• simms
• joe strummer
• hitman
• affair
• fabienne

The ending is bittersweet, the main trio is dead and the town is destroyed, but Norwood survives and escapes with a new group. However, the cynical arrival of an oil company suggests a hollow victory, reinforcing the film's cynical worldview.

• ending
• bittersweet
• oil company
• survival
• destruction