U Turn is a 1997 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Oliver Stone, and starring Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton, Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Powers Boothe, Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes and Nick Nolte.

He has a bandaged left hand and is secretly transporting a gym bag full of cash owed to a gangster in Los Angeles.

The journey takes a turn when Bobby's car breaks down due to a burst radiator hose on the outskirts of Superior, Arizona.

Bobby leaves his car with Darrell, the local mechanic, who informs him that repairs will take three to four hours.

During the shower, it is revealed that his hand injury resulted from a brutal punishment for an overdue debt—two of his fingers were cut off.

After freshening up, Bobby makes a move on Grace, but she rebuffs his advances until a sudden kiss is interrupted by her older husband, Jake McKenna.

The teenage assailants steal his gym bag, but the store owner retaliates with a shotgun, killing them both and mangling Bobby's cash in the crossfire.

With no money and unable to pay the mechanic, Bobby frantically tries to reach out to acquaintances for help, including the gangster he owes, but his pleas are met with hostility.

This encounter attracts the ire of her violent boyfriend, T.N.T., A brawl nearly breaks out, but Sheriff Virgil Potter intervenes, showing disapproval towards Bobby as an outsider and ordering him to leave town once repairs are completed.

Returning to Darrell's garage, Bobby finds that additional repairs have been made, increasing the cost.

Jake tells him that he would need to take Grace out of town and push her off a cliff in order to make the murder look like a suicide.

A dream sequence shows that Bobby couldn't go through with it and ends up having sex with her instead as it cuts back into the real world.

Still broke and aware that the gangsters will send someone to find him, Bobby attempts to buy a ticket out of town in order to escape.

Bobby angrily storms out of the bus station, seeing how crazy not only Jenny is, but the entire town is.

Knowing he is out of options, Bobby phones Grace and agrees with her plan to kill Jake for his money.

Bobby sits back and laughs insanely of his continuing bad luck as he looks up at the bright blue sky aware that he will now die in the desert heat without anyone to help him now.

[2] For the Toby N. Tucker role, Joaquin Phoenix said small-town style gave him the inspiration and the idea for the haircut, which was "TNT" (the character's initials) shaved on the back of his head.

[4] James Berardinelli rated the film three stars out of four, stating "for those who enjoy movies on the edge, U-Turn offers just the trajectory you might expect.

"[5] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that it "demonstrates a filmmaker in complete command of his craft and with little control over his impulses".

[6] U Turn holds a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 54 reviews, with the consensus: "U-Turn is a lurid, stylish lark that boasts striking moments but lacks the focus and weight of Oliver Stone's best work."