Southland Tales is a 2007 science fiction / drama film, written and directed by Richard Kelly. The title refers to the Southland, a name used by locals to refer to Southern California and Greater Los Angeles. Set in the near future, the film is a portrait of Los Angeles and a comment on the military-industrial news-tainment complex. The film features an ensemble cast headed by Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott and Sarah Michelle Gellar, and also featuring Miranda Richardson, Cheri Oteri, Christopher Lambert, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake and fellow film director Kevin Smith. Original music for the film will be provided by Moby. The film is rated R for language, violence, sexual material, and some drug content.[1]
Variety has reported Samuel Goldwyn Films in partnership with Destination Films and Sony Pictures will release Southland Tales and has listed a release date of November 14, 2007.[2]
Tagline:: This is the way the world ends. Not with a whimper, but with a bang.
Plot
El Paso and Abilene, Texas have fallen victim to twin nuclear attacks on July 4, 2005 – a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions which sent America into war. The Patriot Act has been upgraded to a new agency known as US-IDENT, which keeps constant tabs on citizens – even to the extent of censoring the internet and using fingerprints in order to access computers and bank accounts. In order to be able to respond to a newfound fuel scarcity, the German company Treer designs a generator of inexhaustible energy which is propelled by ocean currents. Unbeknownst to them, the generators alter the currents and cause the Earth to spiral out of control through space, ripping holes in the fabric of space and time.
In Los Angeles, a city on the brink of chaos, we follow the criss-crossed destinies of Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson), an action film actor stricken with amnesia; Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), ex-porn star in the midst of reconverting; and twin brothers Roland and Ronald Taverner (both played by Seann William Scott), whose destinies – on one evening – become intertwined with that of all mankind.
Cast
* Dwayne Johnson as Boxer Santoros: An amnesiac action star whose life crosses paths with Krysta Now.[3] Santoros is married to a senator's daughter.[4]
* Seann William Scott as Roland Taverner / Ronald Taverner: A police officer at Hermosa Beach, California.[3] Scott also portrays the police officer's identical twin, who is a neo-Marxist.[4]
* Sarah Michelle Gellar as Krysta Now: An adult film star who is working on creating a reality TV show.[3] Gellar met with Kelly and was drawn to the original ideas in his script for Southland Tales.[5]
* Miranda Richardson as Nana Mae Frost: The ambitious antagonist of the film, Boxer's mother-in-law works for US-IDENT.
* Justin Timberlake as Pilot Abilene: A disfigured Iraq War veteran.[6] He narrates the film and also performs a musical number.[4]
* Wallace Shawn as Baron Von Westphalen: A villain who controls ocean waves to create a source of power.[4]
* John Larroquette as Vaughn Smallhouse.[4]
* Mandy Moore as Madeline Frost Santaros: Wife of Boxer Santaros.
* Jon Lovitz as Bart Bookman.[4]
* Kevin Smith as Simon Theory: A legless Iraqi War veteran.[7]
