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 | Mortuary | Alcoholic | Loss Of Father | Mobster

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
Micheline Marchildon	...	Emily
Katie Messina	...	Becky
Lorraine James	...	Brenda
Omar Khan	...	Juan
Joanne Rodriguez	...	Janet
Will Woytowich	...	Nate
David Gillies	...	Earl
Susan Kelso	...	Laurel's Mother
Darren Wall	...	Driver
Lora Schroeder	...	Guard
Ruth De Graves	...	Rosemary
Tracy McMahon	...	Sales Clerk
Sandy Jobin-Bevans	...	Supervisor Davis
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cory Cassidy	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Brian Kawakami	...	San Francisco AA Member (uncredited)
Sean O'Brian	...	Real Estate Agent (uncredited)
Warren Louis Wiltshire	...	AA Member (uncredited)

Directed by
John Dahl

Writing credits (WGA)
Christopher Markus		(written by) &
Stephen McFeely		(written by)

Produced by
Allison Adams	....	associate producer: SBK Pictures
Carol Baum	....	producer
Al Corley	....	producer
Jonathan Dana	....	executive producer
Juliette Hagopian	....	line producer
Téa Leoni	....	executive producer
Mike Marcus	....	producer
Raymond Massey	....	line producer: San Francisco
Eugene Musso	....	producer
Kim Olsen	....	co-producer
Bart Rosenblatt	....	producer
Howard Rosenman	....	producer (as Zvi Howard Rosenman)

Original Music by
Marcelo Zarvos

Cinematography by
Jeff Jur		(director of photography) (as Jeffrey Jur)

Film Editing by
Scott Chestnut

Casting by
Carol Lewis

Production Design by
John Dondertman

Art Direction by
Réjean Labrie

Set Decoration by
Maryam Decter
Bruce Mailing

Costume Design by
Linda Madden

Makeup Department
Pamela M. Athayde	....	key makeup artist (as Pamela Athayde)
Pamela M. Athayde	....	makeup artist: Ben Kingsley (as Pamela Athayde)
Shelly Bargenda	....	assistant hair stylist
Lori Caputi	....	key hair stylist
Heather Gunderman	....	key hair stylist: San Francisco
Cheryl Ann Nick	....	makeup artist: Téa Leoni (as Cheryl Nick)
Gwen Trutnau	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Imad Ftouni	....	assistant unit manager
Bart Rosenblatt	....	production manager
Daniel Voltz	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ronaldo Nacionales	....	first assistant director
Martin Pedersen	....	second assistant director
Markian Saray	....	third assistant director
Sean Vawter	....	first assistant director
Richard Worden	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Olaf Dux	....	construction coordinator
Greg Gardner	....	graphic artist
Jason Gibbs	....	property master
Kim Hamin	....	on-set dresser
Donna Jenkyns	....	draper
Mike Johnson	....	head carpenter
Matthew Karam	....	art director: second unit
Chris Roznowsky	....	assistant property master
Katharina Stieffenhofer	....	art department coordinator
Lawrence Van Went	....	key scenic artist

Sound Department
James Barth	....	adr recordist
Josee Bernard	....	boom operator
Miriam Cole	....	adr coordinator
Brian Copenhagen	....	boom operator: San Francisco
Devin Johnson	....	first assistant editor
Jon Johnson	....	supervising sound editor
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Val Kuklowsky	....	supervising adr editor
Sam C. Lewis	....	adr recordist
Louis Marion	....	sound mixer
Michael McDonald	....	sound recordist
Paul Morrow	....	boom operator
Terry O'Bright	....	sound re-recording mixer
G.W. Pope III	....	foley artist
Miguel Rivera	....	dialogue editor
Steve Schatz	....	sound mixing recordist
Brad Sokol	....	sound editor
Bruce Stubblefield	....	dialogue editor
Alex Ullrich	....	foley editor

Special Effects by
Jimi Campbell	....	special effects assistant
Mark Gebel	....	special effects supervisor
Laird McMurray	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Kenneth Armstrong	....	digital artist
Ben Campanaro	....	digital compositor: Mechnology
Chris Ervin	....	digital effects artist
Chris Ervin	....	visual effects supervisor
Diana Luu	....	digital artist
Elizabeth Marriner	....	digital artist
Lanmana Parys	....	visual effects producer
Jeff Rubin	....	visual effects animator

Stunts
Sterling Johnson	....	stunt double: Roman
Chuck Robinson	....	stunt coordinator
Craig Skene	....	stunt double: Walter
Jan Skene	....	stunts
Rick Skene	....	stunt coordinator
Sean Skene	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Lorne Bailey	....	best boy
John Durica	....	electric
Richard Falk Jr.	....	electrician (as Richard Falk)
Christopher M. Gower	....	key rigging electric (as Chris Gower)
Shane Head	....	generator operator
Joao Holowka	....	gaffer
Brad Hruboska	....	Steadicam operator
Brad Hruboska	....	camera operator
Jeff Jur	....	camera operator
Michael Kelly	....	gaffer: additional photography
Michael Kelly	....	grip
Doug Kiddell	....	lead electric
Jim McNulty	....	generator operator
Reil Munro	....	grip
Mark O'Neill	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Ted Overton	....	focus puller: "a" camera
Tai Pu	....	best boy electric
Rebecca Sandulak	....	still photographer
Julian Saray	....	best boy grip
Krista Stumph	....	camera loader
Robert Thomson	....	key grip
Shauna Townley	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Scott Trembley	....	lead electric
Jason Tuesday	....	grip
Mark Woodgate	....	dolly grip
Terry Wowchuk	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Jim Heber	....	casting: Canada
Patricia Kress	....	extras casting assistant
Joey Ritche	....	casting assistant: Canada
Lori Stefaniuk	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lauren D. Martin	....	set costumer
Annie Rothschild	....	costumer
Angela Wells	....	truck costumer

Editorial Department
Jon Berry	....	digital intermediate editor
Andre Champagne	....	additional editorial assistant
C. Robert Dimitri	....	post-production assistant
Travis Dutch	....	digital cinema mastering
Kyle Dean Jackson	....	digital intermediate producer
Sherwood Jones	....	assistant editor
Alan Pao	....	digital intermediate producer
Sebastian Perez-Burchard	....	digital intermediate editor
Narbeh Tatoussian	....	digital intermediate colorist
Rex M. Teese	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Natalie Baartz	....	music supervisor
John Bissell	....	music supervisor
Johnny Caruso	....	music editor
Robert Miles Kane	....	music assistant
Daniel Levy	....	score preparation
Lawrence Manchester	....	score mixer
Lawrence Manchester	....	score recordist

Transportation Department
Julia Diana Cereceda	....	unit driver
Bundy Chanock	....	transportation coordinator
Brian 'Shaky' Johnson	....	transportation coordinator
Dave Perich	....	driver: cast

Other crew
Neal Baksh	....	assistant location manager
Dave Brown	....	firearms safety coordinator
Matthew Cardarople	....	assistant: Luke Wilson
Bryn Garrison	....	location manager
Tim Haughian	....	location manager
Steve Hearn	....	assistant location manager
Ross Ikeda	....	key production accountant
Karen Jo Irvin	....	executive assistant to producers
Shaun Johnson	....	assistant production coordinator
David Lapp	....	first assistant accountant
Scott Layton	....	production coordinator
Chris Martin	....	script supervisor
Tanya Mazur	....	script supervisor
Allan McGowan	....	security officer
Peter Moody	....	location manager
Barb Myrvold	....	accounting clerk
Laura Neufeld	....	production coordinator
David Porter	....	sous chef
Leslie Stafford	....	publicist
Michelle Walker	....	key craft service
Ryan Wuckert	....	location scout

Production Companies

• Bipolar Pictures
• Carol Baum Productions
• Code Entertainment
• Dillinger Productions
• Echo Lake Productions (I)
• Green Tulip Productions
• Independent Film Group

Distributors

• All Interactive Distribution (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Koch Media (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Odeon Films (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Revolver Entertainment (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• HBO Hungary (2008) (Hungary) (TV)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Laptv (2009) (Argentina) (TV)
• Luxor Entertainment (2007) (Russia) (all media)
• Pinema (2007) (Turkey) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• VelocityApe FX (visual effects)
• Mechnology (digital effects)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Tunnel Post  digital intermediate and titles

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:

Shot in 26 days.

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:

Frank Falenczyk: Are you pregnant?
Laurel Pearson: No! Unless you put something in my egg-roll. And then put the egg-roll in my...

Movie Connections:

Features The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Soundtrack:

Requiem for Bowling Shoes

Very Dark, Very Entertaining Comedy

This little dark comedy is made a real treat by the professional, understated acting by all of its stars and direction that has produced pure entertainment rather than a silly mess.

The plot of the film couldn't be any more far-fetched. Frank Falenczyk, a hit man for a low-level crime family in Albany, New York, is not performing well because he has an alcohol problem. He is sent to kill the boss of a crime group who is muscling in on the territory. Instead of doing his job, he passes out from drink in his car while waiting. What follows is probably the weirdest family intervention scene ever filmed in which Frank's boss and other members of the crime family tell him that he must go to San Francisco to seek rehabilitation.

Frank is packed off to San Francisco, but it is clear his heart is not into the rehabilitation idea for his first two purchases are a gun and a bottle of vodka. He goes to an AA meeting and views the whole process with disdain. After leaving the meeting early, he is approached by Dave the realtor who arranged for Frank's apartment and a job as an undertaker's assistant. Dave has some sort of connection with Albany, and Frank is told in no uncertain terms that this is his last chance. Dave assures Frank that he will be reporting regularly to the head of the crime family back East.

With no other choice, Frank starts going to the meetings where he meets Tom. Tom is a gay toll booth attendant at the Golden Gate Bridge who is wise to the ways of AA. One of the elements that impressed me about the script of this film is how Tom's character is handled. Yes, he is gay, but there is no gay angst associated with his character, and there no Gay Tom subplot. Tom is just a normal guy who just happens to be gay - a refreshing change to the way most gay characters are dealt with in films.

Laurel shows up at the funeral parlor with a pair of bowling shoes for her dead stepfather, and Frank is immediately attracted as it is clear that she is no shrinking violet when it comes to the harsher realities of life. They begin dating.

Putting all of these elements together could have easily produced an over-the-top mess of absurdity, but You Kill Me is not. Instead - as alluded to regarding the character of Tom - it is a perfect blend of excellent acting and subtle direction that produces unadulterated entertainment.

The cast is headed by Ben Kingsley playing Frank, and Kingsley gives us a man we can believe can murder in cold blood, yet possess the weaknesses of a man addicted to alcohol and smitten by a sassy woman.

As for that sassy woman, Téa Leoni is perfect in the part. Her voice and facial expressions convey worlds of irony mixed with amazement when it comes to her character's relationship with a killer.

Luke Wilson gives a wonderfully understated performance as Tom. Dave is played to his quirky best by Bill Pullman, and the respective leaders of the "good" and "bad" crime families are given credible umph by Philip Baker Hall and Dennis Farina.

Add numerous other distinctive character types revolving around these main characters and tons of incredibly witty lines delivered by Frank and his friends, and you have an extremely entertaining - although very dark - comedy.