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You Kill Me
2007
Cinematic hit men are dual-edged characters who can easily slip into the role of hero or villain, making them an attractive proposition for directors looking to pack an emotional punch. YOU KILL ME stars Ben Kingsley (SEXY BEAST) as Frank Falenczyk, a hit man whose work for the Buffalo-based Mafia has been hampered by his .. Read more
| Starring | Dennis Farina, Ben Kingsley, Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson |
|---|---|
| Director | John Dahl |
| Genres | Comedy, Romance, Thriller |
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You Kill Me
Cinematic hit men are dual-edged characters who can easily slip into the role of hero or villain, making them an attractive proposition for directors looking to pack an emotional punch. YOU KILL ME stars Ben Kingsley (SEXY BEAST) as Frank Falenczyk, a hit man whose work for the Buffalo-based Mafia has been hampered by his hopeless alcoholism. Director John Dahl (THE LAST SEDUCTION) sends his lead character off to San Francisco where Alcoholics Anonymous awaits, as does Dave (Bill Pullman), who helps Frank get an apartment and a job in a mortuary. The job introduces Frank to Laurel (Taa Leoni), whom he begins a relationship with while occasionally falling off the wagon and attending AA meetings. Luke Wilson makes an appearance as a fellow alcoholic who mentors Frank through the program.
YOU KILL ME is a wonderful return to form for Dahl, who has struggled to build on his early, noir-inflected career. Kingsley is as reliable as ever in the central role, and he demonstrates an impressive array of emotions as the film progresses. Credit is also due to co-screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who deliver a tight and hugely enjoyable plot while also adding generous doses of dark humour throughout. Intelligent and fun, YOU KILL ME is likely to gain a strong word-of-mouth reputation as viewers are lured into its fold.
| Starring | Dennis Farina, Ben Kingsley, Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson, Bill Pullman, Philip Baker Hall, T?a Leoni |
|---|---|
| Director | John Dahl |
| Studio | REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 29 mins Watch now: 1 hr 29 mins |
| Certificate | DVD: , Watch Online: |
| Collections | New releases |
| Genres | Comedy, Romance, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English Watch Online: English |
| Released | DVD: 14 Apr 2008 Watch now: 08 Apr 2009 Production year: 2007 |
| Watch now | Subscribe and watch this as part of an unlimited package. |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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With an eclectic mix of strong-minded thesps all pulling in slightly different directions, this shape-shifting genre hybrid successfully commingles 12-step therapy, romantic comedy and hit-man thriller
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Straight-up ridiculous, but it's also consistently funny and nicely played by a well-complemented cast that finds its collective groove and never misses a beat
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Most helpful member's review
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Not a hit, man
Director John Dahl has a couple of snappy thrillers under his belt, most noticeably, The Last Seduction, where he combined humour with film noir to create a terrific film. Here the accent is on the comedy with a bit of romance and thriller thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, despite promising to be a quirky black comedy this never really goes anywhere, it doesn't work as comedy, it certainly doesn't work as thriller and the romantic subplot feels forced and unrealistic. Dahl directs competently but he isn't working with much in the way of a script and the film, even at a trim 89 minutes, outstays its welcome
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Most recent members' review
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11 out of 12 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
It won't drive you to drink - it will get you drunk and hand you the keys
A dull plot, poor direction and lackluster cinematography combine to possibly make 'You Kill Me' the most boring movie to ever featured a hit-man, a car crash and a drunken wake. We stagger from muted scene to muted scene, unsure whether to like or hate Ben Kingsley, and in the end you feel nothing at all.
Even if Ben Kingsley's character were believable -- and an alcoholic killer sent to dry out by his mobster family is more plausible than many Hollywood films -- on this occasion he was played with as much depth as a paddling-pool in the middle of the Sahara at high-noon. It's not that the acting was bad, although I found Mr. Kingsley's accent simultaneously forced and fleeting, and highly distracting. Rather, the characters were so 2-dimensional that there was simply nothing for the actors to flesh out.
I really hope this screenplay was based on a novel, because in this form it just didn't cut it. Watch this film if you like bald men with bad accents, drink sherry from 2L bottles, and have trouble following the plot on the side of a McHappy meal. -
News and features
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Prince Caspian
- 23 Jun 2008
London during the Blitz. For a while it looks like the Pevensie children have wandered into a sequel to Atonement by mistake. Happily they take the tube to Narnia instead, even if they're dismayed to find their old castle at Cair Paravel in ruins. Nazi rockets aren't to blame, just the passage of time. The four kings and queens have returned from the realms of myth to find their Edenic land overrun by the tyrannical Telmarines (a suspiciously Mediterranean, vaguely Popish lot led by Sergio... Read more
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