You Kill Me (2007)

THE GOOD - A very interesting film, start-to-finish, with a little action, romance, humor, melodrama, suspense....a good combination of a lot of things. The acting is good, led by the always-fascinating Ben Kingsley who plays the lead role. There was a good contrast in the areas: the snowy cold of winter in Buffalo and the dry and brighter look of San Francisco. I like the supporting actors in here, beginning with Dennis Farina as "O'Leary." He's another actor that always gets your attention. The movie also gives a nice plug for Alcoholics Anonymous. I kept waiting the smart remarks about it, but they surprised me on that one. Respect was given for the no-nonsense approach given by that famous organization which has helped a lot of people.

THE BAD - Even though it's "dark humor," the messages in here are in frequently enough that I believe Hollywood, in its twisted thinking, would actually go along with a lot of opinions expressed such as alcoholism being a more serious problem than being a hit-man! (Hey, they are only shooting other bad guys, right?) Tea Leoni's character was stupid and too profane. No woman, especially someone with her looks and brains, would go for an aging, drunk-killer. Puh-leeze. Also, being from the Buffalo area, I didn't care for the cheap shots on the city, either. People here are tired of that.

OVERALL - Despite a few things, like Leoni, that were a little sleazy and unrealistic, I found the movie a good one in that it entertained me all the way. This is a strange film, certainly not one that is going to be a hit with the public but if you like something different, something a little "dark" yet romantic, you'd probably like this film. It's quirky, which seems to be the kinds of films Kingsley has been doing the past decade ("Sexy Beast," "House Of Sand And Fog," etc.)

Fmovies: Comedy? What's so funny about watching an ugly deadbeat alcoholic attending 6 sessions (by the time I turned it off) of alchoholics anonymous? Set off by a woeful script of grunts and mumbles and drunken slurrings. Served up with lashings of Hollywood's religious "God will Save you" redemption drivel Another Reviewer mentioned the "Sassy dialogue" of Tea Leone - well I managed to watch nearly an hour of this boring film and I still haven't seen any sassy yet - in fact my 80 year old grandmother has more amusing comebacks than Tea's character in this rubbish. Tea is more stony faced and shows less emotion than Keanu - in fact one wonders if she too isn't addicted to something - maybe botox her face is so wooden? Save yourself from being killed with boredom from this film.

Well, what an odd film. So far I have liked John Dahl's films, but this one left me distinctly cold. There's something oddly out-of-kilter about the whole exercise, not least the whimsical cod Italian music which plays in more or less every scene, which is intended, I suppose, to inform us that it's all a bit of a hoot really, to the ghastly schmaltz of the 'hero' finally hooking up with the 'heroine' and providing the, for some, de rigueur 'happy ending'. In the other of Dahl's films I've seen schmaltz was not just absent, but replaced by a black humour which was the icing on the cake. Perhaps it looked OK on paper when Dahl first looked at the script. Alcoholic hit-man who is getting sloppy because he's drinking to much is sent by his gangster 'family' to another city to dry out. While there is meets a quirky female - I assume we're supposed to think her quirky or kooky or something - and they fall in love. But the family back home is being extinguished by other gangster so our hero goes home for one last job to avenge the murder of his boss. Actually, it doesn't even sound that promising on paper. I suppose I must allow that in other hands some director might, just might, have made something off it, but inexplicably Dahl isn't that director. Given the overall lack of cohesion and, for this viewer at least, the fact that the film missed all its targets by a country mile, it would be silly to list individual shortcomings, but I'll do so anyway. For one that find actor, great in the right part, Ben Kingsley (or Sir Kingsley as Christopher kept calling him in The Sopranos) is thoroughly miscast. Then there's the character he plays, an unrepentant hit-man who doesn't feel guilty that he has murdered people, just that he was often so drunk he made a hash of many jobs and didn't kill then cleanly. That's funny? OK, again I've got to accede that in the right hands it might well be made to seem so, but Dahl's really aren't the right hands. This film will certainly please some folk - after all, a great many go for all those goddam-awful formulaic blockbusters. But it didn't please me and if you intend watching it because you have liked other of Dahl's films, give it a miss. He can do, and has done, a lot better than this. Yes, it has many of Dahl's hallmarks, not least, some good lines, but the parts really don't add up to a respectable whole. Sorry, but that's the truth.

You Kill Me fmovies. 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.

Far from perfect its absolutely charming with a super cast headed by Ben Kingsley as a hit-man with a drinking problem. Sent from Buffalo to San Fransisco to dry out when he blows a hit, Kingsley attempts to get his life in order.

Funny, touching and atypical, no one is really a cliché. As I said its not perfect, it meanders a bit too much and the mob stuff is a bit worn but its still a charming film. I think the whole things works thanks to the across the board excellent performances. First and foremost is Ben Kingsley who once again proves himself to be one of the finest comedic actors working today.

This is one of those movies you like with your heart more than with your head. This is one to see and share with as many people as you can force into seeing it.

Very good movie. This movie is about a hit man who is an alcoholic who has to get clean for the family. I am not gonna wreck anymore plot. I thought Ben Kingsley played an amazing part. His character is so likable that you can forgive him for what he does for a living. This movie is a little bit of romance, some action, and a little comedy here and there. Tina Leonie plays the female love interest and she produced this movie. I thought she also did a great job and this is just a good movie. I work at schlock buster video and this film is so underrated. Why can't people enjoy good movies like this instead of crap like Shoot Em' Up or the new movie war. People are so desensitized this day and age that they only enjoy rude comedy by the American Pie Team or just mindless action movies about war or killing. Yes this film is about killing but at least it has a good thorough story that actually makes sense and has good acting instead of the poor acting of the guy from The Transporter in War or the disgusting language of American Pie Beta House. If you like a movie with substance check this film out as it is a killer!