A Kiss Before Dying (1991)

Director:

James Dearden

Writers (WGA):

Ira Levin (novel)
James Dearden (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Loving him was easy. Trusting him was deadly.

Plot:

Realising his secret girl-friend Dorothy's pregnancy will sour her relations with her ultra-rich father...

Plot Keywords:

Dual Role | Pushed Off Building | Philadelphia Pennsylvania | Hit By Train | Faked Death

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

James Bonfanti	...	Young Jonathan
Sarah Keller	...	Lecturer
Sean Young	...	Ellen / Dorothy Carlsson
Martha Gehman	...	Patricia Farren
Lia Chang	...	Shoe Saleslady
Matt Dillon	...	Jonathan Corliss
Yvette Edelhart	...	Screaming Lady
Max von Sydow	...	Thor Carlsson
Jim Fyfe	...	Terry Dieter
Lachele Carl	...	Reporter
Briony Glassco	...	Waitress
Shane Rimmer	...	Commissioner Malley
James Russo	...	Dan Corelli
Diane Ladd	...	Mrs. Corliss
Adam Horovitz	...	Jay Faraday

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brocket Hall, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When Dorothy plummets to her death at the beginning of the film, her body flies down in front of a window. Inside the room a man and a woman can be seen kissing each other.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ellen looks out at the railroad tracks just prior to the final confrontation, she sees a freight train with a long line of cars with bright green Carlsson Copper logos. The logos, however, are printed on fake-looking prop fabrics draped over the cars.

Quotes:

Nurse: She's got two broken ribs, a broken jaw, and a bad concussion. We're going to keep her overnight for observation.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Today, I am a Clown (#15.6)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Dangerous Love

Decent plot, marred by awful acting

For this type of thriller, this movie is entirely average. The plot and overall theme is decent enough, but the film loses any potential it might have by featuring such lousy acting. Even Max von Sydow, who is a veteran and is normally an excellent actor was disappointing in this. The only actor who did even a decent job was Matt Dillon. The film also has a bad pace, it's far too slow; in fact, it's incredibly slow and boring, for such a short film; it's just over 90 minutes, yet I can't bring myself to sit through the entire thing again(I did once, but ever since then I haven't been able to do so). The climax in the film is also below average, and flat-out boring. The supposed twist-in-the-end was lame, and not to mention far too easy to figure out. Also, the film introduces the villain far too early, in my opinion. Five minutes into the film, you knew who you were gonna root against. That's just too early. The film lacks any real surprises, as well as any great qualities. The few scenes detailing the psychopath's gruesome murders are decent, but lacks any real intensity or excitement, simply because you know exactly what will happen. As far as thrillers go, this is average and entirely forgettable. I recommend it only to the biggest of thriller fans. 5/10