El Cortez

Those who remember Lou Diamond Phillips as Young Guns’ ambiguously ethnic badass will be shocked by his nebbishy turn as an unstable hotel clerk in this Reno-set noir. Ostensibly an “I don’t want any trouble” type, Manny nevertheless becomes embroiled in the schemes of a paraplegic prospector (Weitz) and the requisite bombshell in distress (Middendorf). Phillips, all creepy half smiles and muttered oaths, flirts with brilliance, but the flat supporting cast, inanely twangy soundtrack and clich-clogged script peg the film as Cinemax-caliber schlock. (Opens Fri; Quad.) — Hank Shteamer