You Kill Me (2007)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Markus (written by) &
Stephen McFeely (written by)

Release Date:

6 July 2007 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A killer comedy by John Dahl

Plot:

While drying out on the West Coast, an alcoholic hit man befriends a tart-tongued woman who might just come in handy when it's time for him to return to Buffalo and settle some old scores.

Plot Keywords:

Buffalo New York | Alcoholic | Mortuary | Punch In The Belly | Turtle

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Frank Falenczyk
Téa Leoni	...	Laurel Pearson
Luke Wilson	...	Tom
Dennis Farina	...	Edward O'Leary
Philip Baker Hall	...	Roman Krzeminski
Bill Pullman	...	Dave
Marcus Thomas	...	Stef Krzeminski
Scott Heindl	...	James Doyle
Alison Sealy-Smith	...	Doris Rainford (as Allison Sealy-Smith)
Aron Tager	...	Walter Fitzgerald
Jayne Eastwood	...	Kathleen Fitzgerald
Al Corley	...	Man in Park
Erik Fjeldsted	...	Kevin
Aaron Hughes	...	Stanley
Devin McCracken	...	Henry

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Manitoba Production Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Bipolar Pictures

Trivia:

Though much of the film takes place in San Francisco, only one day of filming took place there.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The supposed Buffalo train station is full of Via Rail Canada signs, but nary an Amtrak sign, even though we hear an Amtrak train announcement on the soundtrack.

Quotes:

Tom: [regarding Frank's admission of his career as a hitman to the Alcoholics Anonymous group] Actually, it went better than you think. It did
Laurel Pearson: How do you know they won't tell the police?
Frank Falenczyk: It's Alcoholics Anonymous.
Tom: Somehow I don't really feel that's what they had in mind when they came up with the name, but you never know.

Movie Connections:

Features The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Soundtrack:

Lonesome Town

Entertaining Diversion

Quite uneven and rather heavy treatment of some topics meant to be amusing, but still, a pleasant change of pace from slasher or crasher movies. Kingsley is a drunken mobster somewhat unconvincingly told to attend AA by his godfather or boss or whatever.

In the end, this is the sort of pleasing yet non-filling confection of a movie which is suitable for couple to go to without compromise - or perhaps it's the perfect compromise.

It has enough guys running around with firearms to suit the men. It has Tea Leoni as a strange beautiful woman so there's some romance for the women. It has Ben Kingsley who looks 40 years older than Leoni involved in a romance with her which should satisfy something in most people, even if I'm unsure what.

Like most movies today, this one demands a huge suspension of disbelief not only about the gangster snow plow wars of Buffalo, but why Chinese want in on a piece of that action, how mobsters care for each other and if some homely old grunt can really get and hold a very hot Hollywood star girl.

Still, I'll take it over the current clash or crash offerings.