Kill Me Again (1989)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

John Dahl

Writers:

John Dahl (written by) and
David W. Warfield (written by)

Release Date:

27 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Her last request was his first mistake.

Plot:

A young detective becomes involved with a beautiful woman on the run from the mob and her psychopath boyfriend.

Plot Keywords:

Drowning | Craps Game | Sunglasses | Imperative In Title | Briefcase

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Pat Mulligan	...	Sammy
Nick Dimitri	...	Marty
Michael Madsen	...	Vince Miller
Joanne Whalley	...	Fay Forrester (as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer)
Robert Schuch	...	Collection Agent #1
Duane Tucker	...	Collection Agent #2
Val Kilmer	...	Jack Andrews
Molly Flanegin	...	Gossipy Motel Clerk
Dominic Dinino	...	Rest Stop Little Boy
Daniel Dorse	...	Rest Stop Father
Bibi Besch	...	Jack's Secretary
Jim Boeke	...	Javonovitch
Jon Gries	...	Alan Swayzie (as Jonathan Gries)
Michael Sharrett	...	Tim the Motel Clerk
Debby Lynn Ross	...	Kathy the Drowned Wife

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Boulder City, Nevada, USA

Company:

Propaganda Films

Trivia:

Joanne Whaley-Kilmer's new name "Vera Billings" is a combination of the town (Billings) where writer-director 'Dahl, John' is from, and a girl he dated.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jack's sideburns when he drives Fay to the police station.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey (2003) (V)

The Desert beckons...

The desert must be the American closet of dirty deeds. Bodies are buried there, money is gambled there, and crime is committed and neo-noir thrillers are filmed there. It is a symbol of the dark side of America.

This film is about a hard-up PI (Kilmer) who agrees to stage a fake death in order to pay off some loan sharks. But his client (Joanne Whalley, formerly Kilmer's wife in real life) is not to be trusted, and so what seems simple quickly becomes very complicated.

Kilmer is a bit young and miscast for a PI, and the cigarette-dangling on the lips, venetian blinds of the PI's office is cliché. His acting is decent, but not inspired. But Joanne Whalley's outstanding performance as the treacherous, frail yet seductive femme fatale makes this picture worth watching. Michael Madsen also is sensational as the seething, smirking and deadly boyfriend.

The direction of this film is also good. There's a scene where the PI and his client leave the hotel room, and the camera zooms down to a matchbook, tying the PI to a crime scene. It was done perfectly.

Some people say this film is predictable, but I did not predict what happened. I usually try and enjoy the movies I watch and not try to predict them, unless the writers make it too obvious what is going to happen. There is a possible loose end in the final scene at the Indian reservation, but it's small so I won't mention it, and it does not ruin the movie.

7 points