"Vincent" (Miguel Ferrer) is a relatively minor crime boss who is fortunate to have a man like "Joshua" (Cuba Gooding Jr.) looking out for his interests. So when Joshua learns that a drug dealer has plans to kill Vincent he relays this information to his boss and they set out to take care of the problem once and for all. Unfortunately, what they don't know is that the drug dealer just happens to work for "Nino" (Harvey Keitel) who is the biggest crime lord on the East Coast and he doesn't appreciate having one of his men knocked off. It's at this point however that "business" becomes quite personal and matters get out-of-control very quickly. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this film encapsulated a good story with some excellent performances without expending an unnecessary amount of time in the process. I especially liked the performance of Cuba Gooding Jr. who seemed perfectly cast for this particular role. At any rate, I enjoyed this movie and all things considered I rate it as above average.

WRONG TURN AT TAHOE is a straightforward low budget crime thriller boasting a decent cast, lots of action and incident, and a familiar but well-worked storyline. It's about a small time crook who accidentally bumps off the wrong person and subsequently finds himself the subject of a vendetta by a big shot crime boss.

Such story lines are ten a penny, but WRONG TURN AT TAHOE does well with the material by focusing on the nuts and bolts action of the piece. There's a whole host of well-shot violence here, and a short running time that means the film never outstays its welcome. Plus, the casting of the underrated Miguel Ferrer (ROBOCOP) in a lead role is an inspired one, as this actor gets far too little screen time given his undeniable talent. Okay, Cuba Gooding Jr. is acceptable at best, but Harvey Keitel has fun with a small but grandstanding role.

(Credit IMDb) A small-time crime boss kills a drug dealer without realizing that the drug dealer works for the biggest crime boss in the country

Wrong Turn at Tahoe could possibly be a potentially much-needed turning point in Cuba's falling career. This movie reeks of class, and ranks as one of the better mobster flicks. The shoot out at the end is not only exciting, but felt like a big theater epic. I was really surprised a film this solid was stuck going DTV, I've seen plenty of Theatrical movies that are worse then this one go to theaters, that shouldn't have. I also thought it was built up very efficiently. The opening paves way for what is to become of the movie, and I thought it paved off flawlessly. Pacing issues in the middle is a slight complaint, but that's really it.

Performances. Cuba Gooding is excellent in his role. I saw passion, I saw the talent, and I saw the hunger that I haven't in a long time. I've been depressed and disappointed with many of his DTV films, except the solid Line Watch, so needless to say I am thrilled with his effort here. Miguel Ferrer is fantastic, and adds class to every movie he's in. His intensity is enthralling to watch, and I loved his chemistry with Cuba. Harvey Keitel is solid in his role. Screen time precious, performance just great.

Bottom line. This is better then a lot of Mobster films that went to theaters. It's paced just right aside from the notion about the middle I said earlier in my review. Hopefully this is the start of a renaissance for Cuba of sorts. If, anything else he's headed in the right direction. Recommended

7 ½ /10