Suicide Kings

I bought 'Suicide Kings' on impulse at the height of the DVD craze in the early 2000's. I knew nothing about it. The fact that it starred Christopher Walken and was on sale for cheap was all that I needed. Such an enjoyable time! Critics torn this movie down, but they really missed the boat. This is how you do an effective thriller with good dialog, tension & solid tone.

Ex top dog mob figure Carlo Bartolucci aka Charlie Barret (Walken) is kidnapped by a group of young men (Jay Mohr, Henry Thomas, Sean Patrick Flannery, Jeremy Sisto) who explain that Avery's (Thomas) sister Elise has been kidnapped and they need his scary underworld connections & money to get her back. Charlie isn't involved, but to give him incentive to help they chop off one of his fingers and duct tape him to a chair at friend Ira's (Johnny Galecki) rich parents summer house. Charlie obliges, phones in some moves while bonding throughout the night as we learn more about the young men, situation. Meanwhile right hand man Lono (Dennis Leary) is out on the streets tracking down leads to get the girl back safe & free his boss.

The directing by Peter O'Fallon is solid. The script is carried out well by the cast of faces. It's obvious a low budget project, but they hide this pretty well. There's a handful of flashbacks that serve up either decent atmosphere or laughs. Bit parts involving a security guard, a homeless man and a blackjack dealer are a hoot, but it's not a comedy. Moderate swearing, some light violence. I'm glad they went with the ending they did. Everything ties together in a satisfying manner.

Leary pulls off an effortless ability to be tough, humorous and likable. Walken is solid and gets some killer speeches. All of the young men get moments to shine and aren't window dressing. The flick makes it clear they are way in over their head and aren't as smart as they think. Plus character actors Cliff DeYoung, Frank Medrano, Brad Garrett and Louis Lombardi show up in roles that I most remember them for here.

Christopher Walken's name alone might get you to check out 'Suicide Kings', but that's selling it short. It's a complete package with a good soundtrack. If you're a fan of any of the actors involved do yourself a favor and see this film. Very few of the characters involved are angels, but that's the dark beauty in this film.

I was surprised with Suicide Kings. In the same spirit as Something Wild and The Usual Suspects, this movie is not about the end, but getting you there. The film is well told, keeping you on the edge wanting to know "who's on the inside". Unlike some movies where the wrap up at the end seems too improbable, this one works and works well.

I was unsure of what the movie would be like and so my expectations were low. At the end I had done an 180 degree turn. I was impressed. I look forward to watching this again and picking up on all the clues as to who was doing what and seeing the small details from the start.

It's hard to name a genre for Suicide Kings, so I put it in my beloved category of "twisted thriller". I compare it with movies like Reservoir Dogs, The Usual Suspects, U-Turn, Kalifornia, Wild Things, True Romance and A Simple Plan. Like all of the above, SK was violent, bloody and full of surprising twists. To add to its shadowy charm, it had a psychotic sense of humor. But the most amazing thing about this movie is Christopher Walken's subtly venomous performance, which complements the sharp, individualized performances of the younger cast members. Walken plays Charlie Barrett, a man who is unwittingly "recruited" to help five college-aged rich kids rescue one of their sisters, who has been kidnapped for a $2 million ransom. The five kids: nervous Avery (Henry Thomas), the one whose sis Elise (Laura Harris) is endangered; handsome Max (Sean Patrick Flanery), who is Elise's sweetheart; Brett (Jay Mohr), the one with a hell of an anger problem; aspiring doctor TK (Jeremy Sisto); and ultra-neurotic Ira (Johnny Galecki) whose house becomes a hideout for the kids after they kidnap Barrett. Brett concocts the plan. Max drugs him, TK severs one of his digits, and Charlie is duct-taped to a fancy office chair, hooked up to an IV which is pumping more drugs into him. Meantime, Avery broods nervously over his missing sis and Ira squeals endlessly about the blood TK is getting all over the nice varnished floor. While the boys bicker at each other about how to continue their insanely flawed caper, Barrett regards this group of inexperienced whipper-snappers with a myriad mix of sympathy, amusement and anger. But anger from a man like Charlie Barrett is not to be taken lightly, it is to be feared. Charlie is a man who with one spoken word, could have these five kids murdered and their bodies hidden where no one will ever find them. You know that from the minute you meet him, but the scariest thing about Charlie is his quiet mannerism. This serpent is indeed subtil. He does not shout, he gently whispers hints of warning to the kids that they've made a bad mistake messing with him. He taps into these kids early on, uncovering their dirty little family secrets and their own individual not-so-secret addictions, to drink, to drugs, to gambling. And he uses devices, honed from years of experience in a world these kids know nothing about, to his advantage. He may be physically incapacitated, he may be outnumbered, but he knows the kids are still no match for him. There's no arrogance in this knowledge, and it is truly creepy. It's a battle of wits that kept me on the edge of my seat, gave me the most delicious shivers of perverse anticipation, and it was honestly very hard to know which side to route for. I really love this movie. See it if you haven't. : )~

"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)

When the sister of one young man is kidnapped while she is out on a date with another young man, the group of friends kidnap an ex-mobster to make use of his contacts and his money to help get her back in one piece. However the longer they keep Bartolucci the closer his right hand man Veccio gets to finding them and the more the friends realise that the kidnapping plot may be more complex than first thought.

Attracted to this film by the presence of Walken playing the role he does best – some sort of mobster – I wasn't really sure what to expect. The overly stylised opening credits and the initially confusing mix of flashbacks within flashbacks to set the story were quite distracting however soon settled down into a more straightforward plot. This plot holds the interest due to the confined situation in which most of the action occurs and is quite involving. The first few twists are well handled but it starts to put the film into a spin from which it doesn't recover, as more twists mount up and become increasingly alienating and contrived. At the end I didn't feel any involvement or surprise by the twists whereas I had sat up and paid attention to the first few.

The film is quite comic at places and this makes it feel like a more enjoyable piece than it would have if it had just been played straight. However this comic touch doesn't take away from the fact that the film is really a thriller of sorts. The cast is roundly good, without anyone of the main group really stealing the show. Walken does his role in his sleep but is still effective – his transformation as he gains confidence during the film is well put across. The young group of actors playing the friends are all pretty good although the `where have I seen him before factor' was a little distracting (6 Feet Under, Roseanne etc). However it is the (wisely expanded) character played by Leary that really is the one that I kept looking forward to seeing. His character almost feels like he is in a movie of his own which is a distraction, but means his scenes are all very enjoyable. His dialogue is knowingly cool and his character is comically overblown to good effect. The film truly benefits from having him in the role.

Overall this film wants to be cooler and better than it really is, the end result of which is a spiral of twists which become increasingly uncontrolled and uninvolving. It is enjoyable enough to watch and the use of one main set helps to add to the tension of the story, however once the twists come they don't stop which sadly leads to them becoming increasingly less effective. Worth a watch but subject to the law of diminishing returns in terms of plotting.