Suicide Kings (1997)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Peter O'Fallon

Writers (WGA):

Josh McKinney (screenplay) and
Gina Goldman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

Their plan was perfect... they weren't.

Plot:

A group of youngsters kidnap a respected Mafia figure.

Plot Keywords:

Mobster | Kidnapping | Mafia | Rich Kid | Bloodshed

Cast

Mark Watson	...	Doorman
Christopher Walken	...	Carlo Bartolucci / Charlie Barret
Denis Leary	...	Lono Veccio
Nina Siemaszko	...	Jennifer
Jay Della	...	Bartender (as Jay Fiondella)
Henry Thomas	...	Avery Chasten
Sean Patrick Flanery	...	Max Minot
Nathan Dana Aldrich	...	Marcus (as Nathan Dana)
Jay Mohr	...	Brett Cambell
Jeremy Sisto	...	T. K.
Frank Medrano	...	Heckle
Brad Garrett	...	Jeckyll
James Peter 'JP' O'Fallon Jr.	...	Kid #1
Nicholas Huttloff	...	Kid #2
Trent Bross	...	Maitre D'

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for some nudity and drug use.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Germany:16 (video premiere) | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (# 35488)

Filming Locations:

City of Industry, California, USA

Company:

Live Entertainment

Trivia:

During the director's audio commentary, Peter O'Fallon and Wayne Allan Rice recall the creation of the song for the flashback scene in Max's mustang with Elise, which was "? written for the movie, due to budget constraints". They refer to the band as "? a guy named Frankie Blue, and no you can't buy the record because they decided not to do a record deal". The song is actually "Shattered" by Remy Zero, who have been together for 14 years and have released multiple albums.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the last scene when Bartolucci is talking to Elise the sun casts a shadow of his hat on the right side of his face. In the next shot there is no shadow. The sun has clearly set.

Quotes:

Charlie Barret: I'm bleeding to death. Humor me.

Movie Connections:

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

Soundtrack:

The Four Seasons

Slick, entertaining thriller with fine cast

"Suicide Kings" is an often enjoyable and compelling film, despite a few plot holes due to some twists at the end that the writers desperately threw in to surprise the audience, but didn't take the time to reflect on whether they made perfect sense or not. Nevertheless, it's a fun ride all the way through. The characters are all interesting, in their own way. People have referred to the Ira character as annoying and obnoxious, but he's also the character I most relate to. You'll never catch me throwing a party in my house when my parents are gone, because I'm incredibly paranoid about people wrecking the place and I can imagine how paranoid I'd be in Ira's situation with his friends keeping a gangster with his finger cut off captive in my parents' living room. The actors all do splendid jobs, and have a natural chemistry. As for Christopher Walken, when does he not please? He's one of the most intense, engaging, brilliant actors of all time and that's that! Once Walken's on screen, the dynamic completely changes for the better, whether it be a movie of this quality or one of the "Prophecy" sequels. Denis Leary is hilarious as Walken's right hand man whose running gag is the fact that he wears boots made from stingrays. People keep referring to them as "fish boots." He plays the same irritable, pugnacious, f-word-spewing character as in 90 percent of his work, but who cares? Some actors are so good at playing one character that they get away with it no matter how many times it's reprised. Leary is one of those actors. His talents mainly lie in stand-up comedy, so his range isn't that broad. But Leary's good at playing Leary, or an extension of himself, and I'd much rather see him in that role than as, say, a sensitive romantic lead. I loved watching him beat the guy up with a toaster and the other one with a golf club. I love to see Leary do stuff like that. Jay Mohr, a fellow stand-up comedian, is also good mainly at playing that particular role and that's what he does in this movie. Not a big stretch for him either, but it's what he's good at. It was also cool to see "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Brad Garrett in a more serious role, and using language he can't use on TV. The whole film is basically filled with 4-letter words, but it fits the testosterone-filled tone, being that the cast is predominantly male. There is as much excitement as there is dark humor. Director Peter O'Fallon balances those elements nicely. And I loved the theme song over the credit sequence. For some reason, it's still pounding in my head.

My score: 7 (out of 10)