The only reason why I didn’t recommend this movie to you sooner is because I thought it was about Elvis. The title sounds like this is a slow-moving drama about the aging singer and his desire to go home. In reality, this movie has almost nothing to do with Elvis. 3000 Miles To Graceland is a slick and fun heist movie featuring a story full of twists and one hell of a cast. It’s as slick as only early 2000s movies can be. During those few years, we got a lot of these larger-than-life snappy-editing fast-paced releases. Spun and Torque are, I think, the best examples of this long-gone trend.
3000 Miles To Graceland is a movie about Michael Zane, a man who, mere days after getting out of prison, decides to rob a Las Vegas casino. He plans to do this heist with a couple of his friends who will be all wearing Elvis costumes to mask their identity. As you can already guess, things will start to go wrong pretty much immediately. So, you can expect a lot of action, shootouts, chase scenes, and a surprising amount of black humor. Yes, this is actually a pretty solid black comedy that should not be taken seriously. It’s not an Elvis-themed Oceans Eleven as a lot of people will die and we’ll have the classic Western shootout at the end.
The heist is also this messy and bloody affair that happens pretty early on. I think this is the reason why the movie didn’t do so well at the box office. People didn’t get that 3000 Miles To Graceland is a visually dazzling and dumb guilty pleasure with one goal: to entertain you. Moreover, they took one look at the cast and said: this has to be good. Dependable Kurt Russell plays the lead role which is quite appropriate since he’s the only one of the entire cast who ever shared the screen with Elvis. The year was 1963 and very young Russel actually got to kick him in It Happened at the World’s Fair.
Opposite of Russel we have Kevin Costner playing an asshole. Yes, you read that right, Costner plays a bad guy in this movie. And he does it with style. However, the list of A-listers doesn’t stop there. Russell’s love interest is none other than seductive and scheming Courteney Cox playing the femme fatale Cybil. It’s funny to think that she was married to David Arquette, who also stars here, at that time. And the supporting cast is just as strong featuring the likes of Christian Slater, Bokeem Woodbine, Kevin Pollak, and Ice motherfucking T, bitch! Body Count’s in the house!
I know I’m a bit enthusiastic but this is what this movie has done to me. It got me in a good mood and what more can you ask of an early 2000s movie? Perhaps an iconic setting? You’ve got it. We will be spending most of our time in Nevada, visiting both Las Vegas and small rural towns. The sun-drenched landscapes evoke the classic neo-noir vibes like you’re watching a Coen Brothers movie on cocaine. I mean, the movie is on cocaine, not you although I have nothing against the magic powder. Director Demian Lichtenstein and cinematographer David Franco dazzle us right away with these Americana vistas.
Moreover, we get the chance to see a pretty good fight between two CGI scorpions symbolizing the two leads in this movie. And just like that the stage is set. Oh, I also forgot to mention that 3000 Miles to Graceland is also a road movie. I dare not elaborate on that to not spoil anything but I think you get the picture. And don’t worry, we’ll end up in the desert, digging a hole for a dead guy who had to disappear. You know the saying. Seeing Christian Slater, I immediately got the Very Bad Things vibes. Now that’s a good fucking Las Vegas movie featuring even blacker humor than this one.
Moving on, the pacing is extra fast thanks to almost frenetic editing injecting a lot of energy into the atmosphere of the movie. The same can be said about the soundtrack featuring a lot of techno and just a couple of Elvis’ songs. The running time is a bit longish, about two hours. However, I think that all the things I’ve mentioned so far more than make up for that. I also think that this movie is just cool. Both of our main characters wear cool sunglasses and smoke all the time. And right about now you can guess I’m a bit older, 41 to be precise, so I think stuff like that looks cool.
What can I say, I grew up during the eighties and nineties, it’s the fucking norm. On top of all of that, Kevin Costner who plays the badass Murphy drives a sweet sweet fire-engine red 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. The entire movie is full of these attention-grabbing little details. So, I highly recommend you watch 3000 Miles To Graceland, you’re not going to regret it. Especially if you’re looking for that very special hit of early 2000s movie nostalgia. If you’re looking for something similar but a bit toned down do check out Red Rock West. Or, if you’re looking for something newer, 2023’s The Last Stop in Yuma County.
Director: Demian Lichtenstein
Writers: Richard Recco, Demian Lichtenstein, Kevin Bernhardt
Cast: Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Courteney Cox, Christian Slater, Kevin Pollak, Bokeem Woodbine
Fun Facts: The gas station with the is located at Nelson Nevada Ghost Town, Eldorado Canyon. It’s a tourist attraction with only the old gold mine still working. However, you can still see the original Grumman OV-1 Mohawk sadly laying by the side of the road rusting away.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0233142/
