An indie film that goes high concept--four rich
preppie kids kidnap an ex-mob boss to pay for the ransom of one
of the kid's sister.
Was I the only person who didn't buy the
ostensible story from the beginning? Anyone who gets past that
will probably find the film much more interesting. As it was, it
was the kind of movie that you zone out through the obvious
scenes while waiting for the actors who interest you to show up
again.
--Walken got all the attention in the reviews I
read. (shrug) Yes, he was good, but it's the sort of part he
could phone in.
--Johnny Galecki was one of my favorites on
Roseanne (back before the show went downhill in the last two
years), and it's nice to see he's still working. Nice job as Ira,
the hapless put-upon pal.
--Denis Leary had the performance of the movie;
the man has had a great year. As the henchman trying to find his
boss, his scenes are nothing but a series of monologues that are
beautifully delivered and very funny. He also brought a
much-needed feeling of violence and unpredictability to the movie
which, had it been more fully executed, would have had both
spilling from the screen. His speech to the abusive stepfather is
very moving and almost compassionate--and his followup is both
terrifying and satisfying.
Apart from that, I thought the ending was
nicely done.
Still, in a year that didn't have a lot of
originality, Suicide Kings tries to be different. None of the
performances are bad; the script is decent. It's worth a rental.
