Next of Kin (1989)

This film is a very average 80's action/thriller. There really isn't a lot of action until the end, but I can't imagine it being categorized as anything else because the plot was so transparent and shallow that it couldn't be considered a drama or anything. This one has it all: Cheesy lines, the aforementioned bad plot, horrid and forced acting and really bad special effects.

The movie's upside, which most people already pointed out, is the cast. What were these people thinking when they agreed to be in this stinker? There's tons of big names in this film from when they were very young. Ben Stiller as a mobster, Liam Neeson as a 'hillbilly', Helen Hunt as the girlfriend...Adam Baldwin, Bill Paxton, and obviously Patrick Swayze. Speaking of Swayze, it's movies like this that really stopped his career from going from 15 minutes of fame to possibly 15 or more YEARS of fame.

Bad accents, forced acting, out of place casting and everything else mentioned above made this movie a below average film even for its time. Unless you're a Swayze nut, stay away from this movie.

Fmovies: This wasn't too bad an action movie but it wasn't all that memorable, either. It's another Liberal elitist script that shows hillbillies as vengeful dumb-ass hicks. There also is the normal religious cheap shot of showing the morons put their hands on the Bible and say "a life for a life. Amen." That's the typical subliminal message for their viewers that anyone who reads the Bible isn't really a moral person, but revenge just like them.

These "believers" then head for Chicago to get their brother's killer.

There was a good cast in the film with Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson making an interesting one-two in the lead roles.

I actually would watch this again, some 15 years later, just to see some of the supporting cast: people who have gone on to become pretty famous such as Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Ted Levine, Ben Stiller and others.

Shot on location in Chicago, Next Of Kin is about a culture clash between two groups that are known for longstanding vendettas. They would be the Sicilian Mafia and the hillbillies of the Appalachians.

Patrick Swayze is one of three brothers of whom the youngest, Bill Paxton, is killed after organized crime takes over a trucking firm he was a driver for. They killed the wrong guy because in addition to being Paxton's brother, Swayze is also a Chicago police detective.

Of course Swayze has to operate within the parameters of the law. That's not the case for the oldest brother Lian Neeson. He comes to Chicago just looking for them that did the deed.

Andreas Katsulas is the Mafia crime family head and he's got an idiot son played by Ben Stiller whom he turns over to enforcer Adam Baldwin to learn the business. Stiller goes right to the top of the criminal food chain with Baldwin when he and Baldwin kill Paxton. But Baldwin is a survivor and he'll do whatever it takes to survive.

The showdown between hillbillies and Mafioso takes place with a cemetery at night serving as the OK Corral. It's quite a battle and justice is served if not the law.

Next Of Kin is your routine action film, but it does have one thing going for it that I have to praise. The hillbillies are real people here, they're not the Clampetts of Beverly Hills nor the mouth breathers from Deliverance. I'm glad that the producers avoided stereotyping them which would have been easy. Swayze is a good action hero and his leading lady is Helen Hunt who as Mrs. Swayze in the film is not given all that much to do.

Fans of the late Patrick Swayze will be very happy with Next Of Kin.

Next of Kin fmovies. Next Of Kin is a terrific,underrated and entertaining Action-Thriller that is filled with fine direction,a great cast,wonderful Action,an impressive script and a good score and soundtrack. All of those elements make Next Of Kin a solid film worth your time.

Set in Chicago,Illinois,Next Of Kin tells the story of Truman Gates(Patrick Swayze),a Chicago cop from the hills of Kentucky who is investigating the death of his little brother Gerald Gates(Bill Paxton)who was killed by gangsters. Meanwhile,Truman's older brother Briar Gates(Liam Neeson)has come to Chicago to do his own investigation and the gangsters find out you mess with their family you mess with them.

Released in 1989,Next Of Kin is a wonderful and very underrated Action-Thriller that wasn't a hit at the Box Office and was panned by critics but in later years the film seems to have found an audience on cable and home video. And while the film doesn't reinvent the wheel and isn't very groundbreaking or revolutionary,Next Of Kin is a movie that gives viewers great entertainment for 108 minutes. From beginning to end Next Of Kin is a movie that gives viewers a good balance and mixture of Action,thrills and drama with grit and style that never changes throughout the movie and is happening on the mean streets of Chicago with intensity and violence all around. The tone and atmosphere of Next Of Kin can at times be bleak and downbeat but you are never depressed while watching the film because while the tone of the movie is serious the film at times has some humorous moments that are funny and give Next Of Kin a light tone. The storyline moves at a fast pace and keeps you glued to the screen and will keep you wondering what will happen next in most of the scenes. What separates Next Of Kin some of the Action movies of the late 1980s and early 90s is the the depth and themes discussed in the film. The main theme that is repeated throughout the film the theme of family and blood we see families from both sides whether it's with Truman and his relationships with his brothers and family or with Gangster John Isabella(Andreas Katsulas)and his family and no matter what conflicts or problems you still have blood,loyalty and family will always be with you. The characters Truman and Briar Gates we see that the two brothers are estranged because of Truman leaving for Chicago which Briar saw as betrayal but when their brother is killed we see Truman and Briar try to repair their relationship while trying to find out who killed their brother and it's pretty obvious that even though they don't say the two truly love each other and care for one another and the dialog between the two feels real and truly adds to the film. In NOK there is a contrast between the people in the big city in Chicago and the hills of Kentucky showing the Gates family living in houses in the woods and hills that are in the dirt which is opposite of the Isabella family who wear expensive suits and live large houses in the big city of Chicago. One of most interesting things about Next Of Kin is the cast in the film which includes actors who were either already famous or would become famous later on such as Patrick Swayze,Liam Neeson,Helen Hunt,Bill Paxton,Ben Stiller,Adam Baldwin and Ted Levine with all of them giving fine performances. The screenplay by Michael Jenning is impressive and well-written with Jenning's script giving most of the characters power,depth,emotion and Humor that makes the movie works so well. The Action scenes in Next Of Kin are wonderful as well as si

Worth watching as both a vigilante movie and as a meditation on the meaning of family, this movie surprised me with the level of it's performances. Liam Neeson contributed his usual fine job, as did a nicely creepy David Baldwin, and a nice mob boss performance by Andreas Katsulas (better known as the One Armed Man from the Harrison Ford movie of "The Fugitive"). Good little wussy role by Ben Stiller; nice supporting job by Helen Hunt. Patrick Swayze does a good dependable job in this movie, but is outshone by the finely understated performances of the men playing his relatives from backwoods Kentucky. Great use of Chicago locations, though the "L" trains running past my house don't appear to have the conveniently flat roofs to jump on. (Alright, a minor quibble). All in all, quite worth watching.

When his brother is murdered, a policeman is caught between his devotion to the law and his family's desire for revenge in this action drama. Patrick Swayze plays Truman Gates, who left his backwoods Appalachian home for life as a Chicago police officer. When his brother is killed by a gangster, Truman is determined to seek legal retribution. His older brother Briar (Liam Neeson) has different ideas, however, and travels to the city to seek old-fashioned vigilante justice. Truman must now choose between his family's belief in mountain justice and the duties of his job. Though the film is not particularly action-packed, director John Irvin does provide the expected gunplay and macho confrontations. However, despite a surprisingly distinguished cast (also including Helen Hunt and Michael J. Pollard), little distinguishes the film from numerous other revenge stories with a similar outline. Next of Kin is the second action film that Patrick Swayze starred in from 1989. The film is full of action and has some great fight scenes. Daniel Baldwin is great as the bad guy and look for a young Ben Stiller before he hit his prime.