Straight to Hell

Straight to Hell

Year: 1987

Runtime: 86 mins

Language: English

Budget: $1M

ActionComedyCrimeWesternCrude humor and satire

A gritty tale of blood, money, guns, coffee, and sexual tension follows a gang of bank robbers who flee the city with a suitcase of cash and seek refuge in the desert. After burying their loot, they stumble upon a surreal, caffeine‑obsessed frontier town where eccentric cowboys drink copious amounts of coffee, setting the stage for odd encounters and dangerous confrontations.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Straight to Hell (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Straight to Hell (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1980s

Set in a contemporary 1980s milieu, the story unfolds with road trips, a bank job, and a landscape of arid deserts and improvised settlements. The era’s pop-cultural texture—neon lights, casual crime, and variable loyalties—shapes the film’s tone. Violence and greed drive the plot in a world that feels both familiar and absurd. The staging emphasizes a modern, offbeat Western sensibility.

Location

Los Angeles, Mexico

The film opens in a Los Angeles hotel where three hitmen hide from their boss before fleeing to a desert landscape toward a sparsely populated Mexican border town. They encounter a surreal, crowded community run by the McMahon clan, where daily life collides with sudden bursts of violence. The setting blends contemporary crime with Western tropes, creating a satirical frontier town atmosphere.

🎭 Film Setting 🗺️ Urban 🏜️ Desert 🛣️ Road Trip

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:24

Main Characters – Straight to Hell (1987)

Meet the key characters of Straight to Hell (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Willy (Dick Rude)

A reckless hitman who pursues money and danger, Willy rarely thinks before acting. His pursuit of Louise adds personal stake to the escape, and his fate underscores the film’s fatalistic tone.

⚔️ Antihero 💰 Greed 🔫 Violence

Norwood (Sy Richardson)

A calculating member who keeps a cool head amid chaos. Norwood navigates the town’s shifting loyalties with cynicism and practical survival instincts.

🧭 Strategist 💰 Greed 🔥 Violence

Simms (Joe Strummer)

The third member of the trio, Simms blends rugged endurance with risky impulsiveness. His affair with Fabienne raises personal stakes in the town’s violent power struggle.

🧭 Strategist 💘 Affair 🗡️ Danger

Velma (Courtney Love)

Norwood’s pregnant wife, Velma is determined to make a safe exit while navigating the men’s dangerous plans. Her presence heightens the film’s moral tension.

👶 Pregnant 💫 Catalyst 🧭 Daring

Bruno McMahon (Shane MacGowan)

A member of the McMahon clan whose actions propel the town’s internal power dynamics. Bruno patrols the edges of violence and authority within the frontier town.

🗡️ Rivalry 🏰 Town Boss 🔥 Violence

Angel-Eyes McMahon (Spider Stacy)

A volatile enforcer in the McMahon faction, Angel-Eyes intensifies the town’s crude energy and escalates confrontations with outsiders.

🪖 Chaos 🔫 Violence 🌀 Power

Frank McMahon (Biff Yeager)

The elder patriarch who governs the town’s social order. His authority is challenged as the hitmen’s money and the town’s tensions collide.

👑 Authority ⚔️ Power 🔥 Violence

George (Miguel Sandoval)

A local merchant whose ambitions intersect with the town’s chaotic dynamics and the pursuit of the hidden money.

🧭 Merchant 💰 Greed 🔥 Violence

Fabienne (Jennifer Balgobin)

A store owner involved in romantic intrigue and the town’s broader schemes. Her choices touch on loyalty, desire, and danger.

💘 Affair 🧭 Social role 🔥 Violence

Karl (Zander Schloss)

A quirky hot dog stand operator who embodies the film’s offbeat humor amid tense events. He adds texture to the town’s microcosm.

🛎️ Street Vendor 😂 Quirky 🗡️ Conflict

I.G. Farben (Dennis Hopper)

A mysterious corporate-backed figure who dumps a suitcase of machine guns into the town, hinting at larger power structures behind the frontier chaos.

🏭 Corporate 🧪 Mysterious 🔫 Firepower

Sonia (Grace Jones)

Colors the town with a calculating, seductive presence as Farben’s companion, intensifying the melodrama and manipulation.

💃 Charismatic 🧭 Manipulative 🌀 Power

Louise (Michèle Winstanley)

One of the few women in the clan, Louise is pursued by Willy and cautious about the money’s location, embodying the film’s blend of flirtation and danger.

💞 Love Interest 🧭 Caution 🔫 Danger

Rusty Zimmerman (Edward Tudor-Pole)

A rival enforcer who arrives to arrest the McMahon men but becomes ensnared in the town’s collapse, illustrating how outsiders are drawn into its chaos.

👮‍♂️ Authority ⚔️ Enforcer 💥 Violence

Amos Dade (Jim Jarmusch)

The cold, distant boss who dispatches the hit and monitors the job from afar, embodying the corporate brutality behind the conflict.

🗺️ Boss 💰 Money 🔥 Power

Chuch (Sara Sugarman)

A peculiar local character contributing to the film’s offbeat social fabric and grotesque humor that underpins the satire.

🎭 Supporting 🌀 Quirky 😂 Humor

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:24

Major Themes – Straight to Hell (1987)

Explore the central themes of Straight to Hell (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💰 Greed

The suitcase of money is the central lure that drives every decision. The hitmen, the town, and rival factions chase it, revealing how greed corrodes trust and destabilizes communities.

⚔️ Violence

Shootouts, hangings, and ambushes erupt as factions collide, turning the town into a kinetic battleground. Violence is portrayed as a spectacle that consumes both criminals and locals alike.

🤝 Loyalty and Betrayal

Alliances form and fracture as fear and profit override loyalties. Romantic entanglements and rivalries complicate aims, leaving few true allies by the end.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:24

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Don't stop at just watching — explore Straight to Hell in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Straight to Hell is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Straight to Hell Summary

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Straight to Hell Summary

Straight to Hell Timeline

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Straight to Hell Timeline

More About Straight to Hell

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