User reviews

I think the best way to approach this movie is on its own terms rather than as a remake of the 1940s film. In any case, it merely follows the general story outline of the earlier picture. What makes it altogether new is Richard Price's screenplay, Barbet Schroeder's direction, a great lineup of actors, and location shooting in some of New York City's seediest and most squalid areas.

Along with the great locations, what really provides the atmosphere is Price's writing. Once again he shows his down to the ground knowledge of the characters, mannerisms, and lingo of the creeps and hoodlums in the big city underworld, and the law enforcement people who deal with them. And there is also Price's trademark offbeat humor.

While the earlier film gave us Richard Widmark as a really scary psycho, in this later film Richard Price has given us Little Junior Brown, a bulked-up killer with a child's mind and an abiding faith in the nostrums of New Age philosophy.

What a delight when Little Junior, fresh from committing murder, asks our hero to take the next day off so they can get together and "talk about life and stuff"! Or when he urges him to settle on an acronym that will give shape to his identity. (Little Junior's is B-A-D--for "Balls, Attitude, Direction.")

Nicholas Cage is often accused of playing over the top, but in the case of Little Junior, over the top is the way to go.

There are also good performances by Stanley Tucci and Samuel L. Jackson. Tucci excels in portraying charming snakes. When he leers and sneers, it is impossible to keep from watching him.

This movie was really very enjoyable.

My friend made me watch this and I found it to be a surprisingly entertaining movie. It's a remake of a 1940s film noir, but I haven't seen that one. Here David Caruso plays the typical gangster-gone-straight in order to support his new family, but one of his friends (played by Michael Rappaport) pulls him in for one last deal which (unsurprisingly) screws him over big time.

The casting here is absolutely phenomenal. The performances by all the lead actors are some of their best: Nicholas Cage, Stanley Tucci, David Caruso and Michael Rappaport all bring serious color to the story. It is clear here that the careful casting makes a big difference. I'd like to say one performance in particular stands out (maybe Nicholas Cage, in one of his best roles ever) but everyone pulls their weight. Michael Rappaport, despite staying in his typical character role, manages to play the most loathsome character in the film! Even the villains have more humanity to them than he does...

The story is good too. It's not original, but very well done. Many classic crime twists are provided in ways one doesn't expect and there are some plot points that are only alluded to, not blatantly shown (i.e. the reason certain characters get knocked off, etc.). It also gives us a good rundown on the inside of a corrupt court system which only protects ex-cons if there's a profit to be made.

And to top it off, despite the criminal element and violence, there is a cool sense of humor to several scenes. Little Junior's (Nicholas Cage) mourning scene stands out as a highlight. And then the way the movie ends, you'd think you were watching Beethoven or something. Hee hee, and Stanley Tucci was in that one too!

It's not some critically acclaimed showboating from the '90s, like American Beauty, The Usual Suspects, and so on, but it is a solid little '90s period piece.

6.5

Ex-con Jimmy Kilmartin agrees to drive a truck of stolen cars as a favour to a friend. Whilst on the job he gets caught but refuses to role over on the others involved. Whilst in prison his wife is killed in a car crash and Jimmy leaves prison, bitter but with a determination to move on. However NYPD officer Calvin wants to use Kilmartin to get close to Little Junior Brown and get evidence to shut him down.

This was one of several vehicles that was planned to turn David Caruso from a TV hit to a big screen star - as we know, it didn't work out that way. However the story is pretty solid, it doesn't break new ground and there's nothing outside of the usual crime thriller plot to surprise you but it's really quite good. At times it's a little dull because it is so straight forward but it's mostly entertaining.

Caruso, for all his current lack of success, is actually very good. The problem is that he's good by doing the same "NY Irish tough but fair" role that he did in NYPD Blue, King of New York, Bodycount and most films he's done! It's good but I don't think he can do anything else. Jackson has presence as he always does and the support cast is really well filled out with people like Helen Hunt, Stanley Tucci, Rapaport, Philip Baker Hall, Ving Rhames. Nicolas Cage's Little Junior is a mixed bag. At some points he is effective but for the most part he's horribly OTT and hammy. His character is full of ticks and eccentricities that at the end of the day that's all Cage has to do.

Overall this is a solid thriller with no surprises. Caruso fans (like me) will like it regardless because it's Caruso doing his usual role. But others may not be so easily made to overlook the weaknesses.

America has the best justice money can buy- meaning gentry that pay for the privilege of justice receive it and normal citizens will see justice only by pure accident. Here is a normal citizen who served his time but continues to be harassed by police- a common tactic of pigs- since they are too stupid to be detectives- they make their informants do all the dirty work of investigation under penalty of return to prison on some lies and setups-ya know- who they gonna believe? Me or you? This is the framework this movie operates in- the reality that most cops and lawyers are total scum that need two neat in the back of the head, and justice is a fairy tale in America.

Add in a little action jackson moments to spice it up and we have a watchable movie that is reasonably OK- not stellar- but watchable to the finish and a decent job of acting by our lead. This is one of the few action flicks that actually tries to do some acting- our lead does a great job- his supporting actors do OK- but not great.

All in all- I would watch this movie for a matinée by myself. One of the humorous things in this movie is you see Nicholas Cage bulked up as a guido in a disco.

"Kiss of Death" is a great thriller from 1995. It is directed by Barbet Schroeder. And it is written by Eleazar Lipsky with screenplay by Ben Hecht. It is currently available on NetFlix Instant Download Streaming. Ex-con Jimmy Kilmartin agrees to drive a truck of stolen cars as a favor to a friend. Whilst on the job he gets caught but refuses to role over on the others involved. Whilst in prison his wife is killed in a car crash and Jimmy leaves prison, bitter but with a determination to move on. However NYPD officer Calvin wants to use Kilmartin to get close to Little Junior Brown and get evidence to shut him down. This was one of several vehicles that was planned to turn David Caruso from a TV hit to a big screen star - as we know, it didn't work out that way. However the story is pretty solid, it doesn't break new ground and there's nothing outside of the usual crime thriller plot to surprise you but it's really quite good. At times it's a little dull because it is so straight forward but it's mostly entertaining. Caruso, for all his current lack of success, is actually very good. The problem is that he's good by doing the same "NY Irish tough but fair" role that he did in NYPD Blue, King of New York, Bodycount and most films he's done! It's good but I don't think he can do anything else. Jackson has presence as he always does and the support cast is really well filled out with people like Helen Hunt, Stanley Tucci, Rapaport, Philip Baker Hall, Ving Rhames. Nicolas Cage's Little Junior is a mixed bag. At some points he is effective but for the most part he's horribly OTT and hammy. His character is full of ticks and eccentricities that at the end of the day that's all Cage has to do. Overall this is a solid thriller with no surprises. Caruso fans (like me) will like it regardless because it's Caruso doing his usual role. But others may not be so easily made to overlook the weaknesses.

Kiss of Death is directed by Barbet Schroeder and collectively written by Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, Eleazar Lipsky and Richard Price. It stars David Caruso, Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Hunt, Ving Rhames, Stanley Tucci, Kathryn Erbe, Michael Rapaport and Anthony Heald. Music is by Trevor Jones and cinematography by Luciano Tovoli.

Reformed ex-con Jimmy Kilmartin (Caruso) reluctantly helps out his cousin transporting stolen cars but gets caught and ends up taking the fall for the whole caper. Back in prison and missing his wife and child, Jimmy gets offered a lifeline if he is prepared to go undercover with the police to bring down psychotic crime boss Little Junior Brown (Cage).

A loose remake of the excellent 1947 film noir of the same name, Schroeder's Kiss of Death is slightly better than the iffy reputation afforded it. Yes it's more solid than anything resembling truly compelling, but it wears its noir heart on its sleeve and is very well performed by an impressive cast.

Caruso's Kilmartin is a classic noir protagonist, a man who tries to go straight but gets dragged into a world of crime and shifty undercover machinations after doing one honest intention favour. From the point he agrees to help out Ronnie Gannon (Rapaport a jumping bean performance), he loses what he holds most dear and continually gets pulled from pillar to post by everyone around him. He's basically a good guy that fate has dealt a deadly hand, even when he gets a second chance at happiness it's not long before the door knocks and he's thrust into a deadly undercover game where he will be lucky to escape with his life intact.

A lot has been made of TV star Caruso's unsuccessful attempt at breaking into films, with some believing that his performance here is mostly to blame. Yet in the context of a noir protagonist his performance is perfectly good, in fact it's a very subtle turn that isn't short on brooding intensity. That he is overshadowed by the likes of Cage (wonderfully on full tilt overdrive as a nut-case) and Jackson (calm yet assured presence) is no bad thing, especially since both come with noir infected ticks (Jackson has a continuous weeping eye/Cage has a phobia about metal in his mouth). Caruso does good here, bringing the character to life without histrionics, he helps the audience understand his frustration as he spins in his vortex of disharmony.

Nobody is done any favours by a screenplay that doesn't take chances, and at times it comes close to standing still in the mid-section, while the climax is a little underwhelming. But for a piece of pulpy neo-noir it has enough about it to make it worth a look. 6.5/10

Everyone is always dissing David Caruso. I think he is alright and he really does a good job in this film. He just wants his life back and wants to take care of his family.

He went to jail and lost his wife (Helen Hunt). He made a deal with the D.A. (Stanley Tucci) and got revenge on the man responsible (Michael Rapaport). But the D.A. is not satisfied. he wants Little Junior (Nicolas Cage). Cage plays one bad mother who kills a federal agent (Ving Rhames) in front of Caruso. That's not enough as the feds get put on the ropes by the mob lawyer (Anthony Heald) and the D.A. makes a deal and drops the case. With the help of a cop (Samuel L. Jackson), he closes the deal and goes off with his new wife (Kathryn Erbe).

That's the story in a nutshell, but it doesn't do justice to what happens. I have seldom seen a neonoir drama with such a list of stars, not to mention eye-candy like Bernadette Penotti.

Worth a watch on Sunday afternoon.

This is not the 1947 film but a 1995 re-make of the famous gangster flick of the same name. While the classic film had one brutally nasty guy, this one has a whole cast full of them....too nasty, frankly. I watched this once and was fairly interested in it. A couple of years later, took a second look and found it so sleazy and I couldn't finish it.

David Caruso, who obtained a lot more fame in television shows than movies, still was interesting for me to watch as he played Victor Mature's old role. Caruso is one of the better actors I've seen when it comes to expressing his emotions just by his facial looks. It seems fashionable to knock him, but I've always been a fan of his work.

Nicholas Cage plays Richard Widmark's psycho character "Tommy Udo" but is called "Little Junior Brown" in this film. Personally, I liked Widmark's performance and character much more.

A lot of people, especially 20-somethings, like these modern tough films with brutal characters and tons of profanity, but the characters in this movie were so nasty that the film never really caught on with anybody.

It certainly had one thing going for it: a very good cast that also included Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, Ving Rhames, Stanley Tuccki, Helen Hunt and Kathryn Erbe.

To summarize: it's not that bad: it just has too hard an edge to it.

"Kiss of Death" is your classic, decent, self-serious 90's crime flick, and one that boasts quite the cast, really, From David Caruso and Nicolas Cage, to Samuel L. Jackson, Ving Rhames, Helen Hunt and Stanley Tucci.

It's kind of funny how the events that IMDb's synopsis describes only start off like half way through the movie. Honest man Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) is pulled in on a job against his better judgement, and gets caught. If he wants to be the dad to his daughter, he must cooperate and help Calvin Hart (Samuel L. Jackson) bring down the bad guys, including the proverbial boss of "Kiss of Death", the psychotic criminal Little Junior Brown, or Nic Cage.

The plot involves less fights and gunfire, and more cop politics than I anticipated, but for once a movie taking itself seriously really helped the flow flaws. At one point Little Junior Brown teaches a lesson to Jimmy about his personal motto, which is "B. A. D. - Balls, Attitude, Direction". Kind of applies to the movie itself, it know what it is, where it goes, and goes there with a strong, unswayable attitude. Overall atmosphere is a little tepid, rarely spinning out in thrills and suspense, and losing momentum towards the end. Nonetheless, good stuff tends to break out when Cage's Junior shows his crazier side and clashes with other characters, being the suspicious angry mob man. Also, is it just me, or every other 80's-90's thriller features at least one scene in a strip club?

Nicolas Cage, the actual show stealer, is once again gifted a character suited for his skills, he portrays the gang's scary guy, ladies man, muscle man, anger issues kind of man. I knew this was supposed to be Caruso's kick start at a film career, that later failed (but he got back in game with CSI: Miami), and, in my opinion, he gave a very decent, weighted main hero's performance. Once again I learn afterwards that someone had been nominated for a Razzie, and this time it was Caruso for the worst new star. Why? I truly don't know, but I've seen way worse. As for Samuel L. Jackson, he has relatively little screen time, Hunt, Rhames and Tucci - even less.

Like with many thrillers back in the day, "Kiss of Death", although appearing dangerous and possibly more atmospheric than half of the crime flicks of the 90's, never truly feels like much is at stake, a soft resolution is reluctantly expected, and a soft resolution is received. Eventually, "Kiss of Death" is just another thriller, just with a top-notch Cage, many exciting names filling the rest of the roles, and a respectable seriousness in the air all the way through. My rating: 6/10.

Everyone agrees that the casting was marque. And that it has great source material. But I feel it gets a bum rap with critics. And Nicolas Cage was exactly what the film needed. I thought so then and I think so now. Color, flash, and style. Something out of the ordinary to give it some desperately needed weight. And Cage makes weight. Literally. That is the strongest look I had seen since Stallone did "First Blood, Part II". Cage is a physical bull and it's impressive. I wouldn't have recognized him if I hadn't seen the trailer with his name on it beforehand. If you never saw this, see it. For no other reason than to be scared of Nic Cage. I was.

This was part of the David Caruso effort to dominate movies as he was tv at the time. Unfortunately for him, and probably us, he never really managed to pull it off. Because he had developed a reputation (valid or not I don't know) as a bit of a *%#^ people seemed happy to see him fail.

Its a shame because he is a good actor and he's good in this. As is the rest of the cast which is full of A and A- actors.

It won't knock your socks off but it will entertain so mission accomplished!

You want to know the best joke I've heard lately? The Kiss of Death remake. Despite having great source material to work from (that being Henry Hathaway's 1947 original), Barbet Schroeder's film might as well have been a comedy, as the level of incompetence on display really is mind blowing. The film features a whole range of well known stars, and almost every single one of them is heinously miscast. Nicholas Cage delivers the silliest role of his career as the babyish gangster 'Little Junior'. Cage's character is this film's answer to Richard Widmark's Tommy Udo, but unlike Widmark; Cage just can't do the extreme psychotic, and succeeds only in making a fool of himself. Samuel L. Jackson isn't given room to breathe, while Helen Hunt, Michael Rapaport and Ving Rhames are entirely wasted. Perhaps the biggest casting mistake was giving David Caruso the lead role. It's hard not to laugh while he's trying to look hard, and the ginger actor looks completely ridiculous throughout. The only actor in the entire film that has been well cast is Anthony Heald (Silence of the Lambs' Dr Chilton), who has a very small role as a lawyer. Kiss of the Death is one of the clearest examples of casting with the poster in mind that I've ever seen.

The plot follows an unlucky guy who gets arrested after taking 'one last job' as a favour to his friend. While on the inside, he is asked to rat out his accomplices, and but won't. However, he changes his mind when it comes to the end of his sentence (oh yes). What made the original great was that the story was tight, and by concentrating on just a handful of characters; the audience was able to care for their plight. This movie doesn't benefit from that, as the film needs a whole load of characters so that a load of big names can star, and it harms the film as the whole thing is far too convoluted. Not much thought has gone into any scene in this film either, and certain plot threads seem to come out of nowhere; the lead character's relationship with the babysitter being a good example of an idea that the film simply throws at you. You really need to stretch your imagination with this movie, as several things don't make sense; and the fact that all in all, this film is bad ensures that stretching the imagination isn't easy. The ending is similar to that of the original, but here we don't get the impression that it's come about as a result of the characters; and Samuel L. Jackson's last moment on screen throws mud in the eye of the dark tone that a story like this should have. All I can say is that Kiss of Death is actually an apt name for this film, as Barbet Schroeder and co have embraced a good idea and killed it.

A mostly gripping crime drama with a good script and a great cast. This is David Caruso's best movie by far as a leading man, the reason he left NYPD Blue, and it portended a good career to follow. Well, his movie career tanked but this is still a good character study and underrated neo noir entry. Cage is all breathy snarl and wonderful menace in the flashy sociopath role originated by Richard Widmark. Hard to imagine assembling a backup cast with Ving Rhames, Helen Hunt, Stanley Tucci, Michael Rapaport and Samuel L. Jackson these days on this budget, and they all put in nice turns.

Probably worth a shot if you are a fan of modern noir and gritty crime dramas, though it does peter out a bit with the too-convenient denouement. Cut from the same tough cloth as other sleeper modern noir movies like DEEP COVER and ROMEO IS BLEEDING.

"You F#&$ with the bull, you get the horns." 7.5 / 10 Would rate higher if not for the too-cute ending.

B-movie tough guy Caruso leads the way in this convoluted crime drama as an exfelon-turned-good-guy who gets caught in a web of intrigue between the right and wrong sides of the law. Replete with familiar faces, this film has little else to offer with a kludge of a screen play and atmospherics and camera work right from page one of the Hollywood playbook. An okay late night sofa spud watch for those into B crime flix or fans of Caruso, Cage, Tucci, Jackson, Hunt, Rhames, Rapapaport, Erbe, etc. (B-)

Wow it's May 2020 and I can't believe I missed that movie. Great cast, great acting, great story with suspense and intrigue. Overall good movie, you won't let distractions around you, take your eyes off the television screen. Go for it.

Caruso and Cage what else could we expect? So much cheese, but still kind of fun and rewatchable for a equal amounts of decent moments and laughs. Cage has obviously made some awful choices, and is so badly cast here. But you can't blame him for trying. Blame the filmmakers for putting him out of his league.

I'm a fan of the original 1948 "Kiss of Death," but not for the usual reasons. I know it was the film that made Richard Widmark a star, but why I've never been able to figure out. Widmark's performance was a pure cartoon, a Method actor's idea of what a psycho killer is. For my money, the best performance in that picture was Victor Mature's, by far the best performance of his career. Mature's quiet determination and single-mindedness overhsadows Widmark's snarling and glggling, but recognition for his first-rate performance was lost amidt the accolades for Widmark. This film has the same situation. David Caruso, in Mature's part, is quite good; in my opinion, it's the best performance of his career. Samuel L. Jackson is a New York cop who first dogs Caruso, then grows to like him, is also quite good, as is Ving Rhames as a seemingly unbalanced crime lord. Michael Rappaport is excellent as Caruso's weasely, scheming cousin who gets him in all this trouble in the first place. Nicolas Cage does what he does when he doesn't have a strong director--chews up as much scenery as he possibly can. You never really get a sense of danger from Cage's character, although he's shown doing some despicable things. The whole movie has a sterile, by-the-book feel to it. It's as faceless and impersonal as a Michael Bay movie. See if if you're interested in David Caruso; otherwise, forget it.

Just finished watching this and although I saw it edited on local cable, I can't imagine the unedited version being much better. As others have noted, Cage was unconvincing as "Little Junior" - a mob boss prodigy who takes over the reins upon the demise of his ailing father. NYPD blue stardom aside for Caruso, Helen Hunt's minor role, Jackson giving a so-so performance at best, this movie left a lot to be desired. Fairly standard fair with the old crime operation goes bad, one of the perps gets turned by the cops, rats a few people out, goes undercover, seeks retribution and so on and so forth. If nothing better is on and you have seen all your own movies too many times, give this a try. But don't get your hopes up!

As Junior Brown, Cage plays one of the memorial parts of his career. He gives Jr. quirks that make him unique. Caruso was way off base thinking he could make the transition from tv to screen, he just doesn't have the charisma to do it. Despite the violence, the movie was better than average.

Kiss of Death. Here's the deal on this steaming stool. They stole scene's, from every other movie of this type for the past 5 years, only to come out with a piece of crap. I like Cage in every thing up till now. He played the stupidest part in the film. There was a few attempts at Tarintino style dialog between the lead and Cage but these all failed miserably. Oh yah the other part that sucked was the "Reservoir Dogs" rain coat wearing, interrogation thing stuck in the middle, just to see if they could shock you. Bull s**t. Bad news. I was bored, the character's were pathetic, unconvincing, and the story was old.