Her film breakthrough came when she starred as Val Kilmer's wife in the 2002 D. J. Caruso crime thriller, The Salton Sea. Following the moderate success of The Salton Sea, West was exposed to a wider market. This role helped her obtain the role of Robin in The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest, which was panned critically and deemed a major disappointment despite an all-star cast, including Rosario Dawson, Adam Garcia - as well a script penned by Jon Favreau.