User reviews

"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)

Every once in awhile I find a really good movie that somehow has not been brought to my attention and that I have not seen. In today's world I think this is becoming even more prevalent than 20th century movie productions because there is a lot more movies being produced other than in Hollywood also there's movies being made for individual cable channels or companies. I just viewed Suicide Kings for my first time and I can say that I would watch it again. There's many things that I consider essential for a good movie such as plot, good writing, good acting and the actual filming and camera work. However to simplify my feelings on a movie; is the movie entertaining to watch and would you spend the time to watch it again with a friend or spouse that has not seen it yet? If the answer to that question is a yes then that's all that really matters. I read a review from a prominent critic from the year the movie came out and this quote is from memory but it basically said this:"The violence in this movie is very very little but the acting was good enough to hold your interest". Really? This from a prominent critic. Why don't they just watch real footage from World War One or Two if they think violence makes good entertainment?? They gave it like 2 1/2 stars out of 10. This critic was obviously looking for some negative feedback attention for publicity reasons or they're just a really terrible judge of movies and also a terrible critic. I'd rather have good acting over violence anytime and I'm far from a tree hugging pacifist. This movie had some of the best comic relief done by one of the most skilled actors in using comic relief in suspenseful or tense scenes. More cow bell ! This movie had me entertained or interested in it almost the entire time no matter how predictable it was and I think it deserves a 7.

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 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 with them throughout the night as we learn more about the young men and the 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 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. 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.

The premise of Suicide Kings - four young and privileged men kidnap a retired mob boss played by Christopher Walken - is appealing. So much so that it makes me wish it made for a better film.

Suicide Kings tries to be a psychological thriller focusing on mental cat-and-mouse games between the mobsters and his kidnappers, and the actors are good enough to pull it off - in fact, they're good enough to make you think that there's any psychological depth to the film, when really there's none. Walken and the talented young cast - Denis Leary, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints), Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) and Henry Thomas (E.T's Elliot all grown up) - all deliver their lines with so much passion and conviction that you almost don't notice how messy and shallow the script really is.

This fine group of actors - and Walken's wildly charismatic performance most of all, from an actor so powerful he can dominate the film while being tied to a chair for all but a few minutes of it - is more than enough to make the film entertaining, even very enjoyable. The weak script, which deteriorates into cheap twists and conspiracies towards the end - makes it entirely forgettable. A quick comparison to Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave is a testament to how much more comfortable the British are with theatrical minimalism. With a great director and a great script, Suicide Kings could have been something wonderful. As it is, it's good enough for one pleasurable watch, but leaves no mark and no impression.

Yes, that is a BOLD statement. However, it's true. This is the classic mind warp! Chris delivers the goods in this film about some guys who think they can out think a mob boss. However, nobody can outsmart Chris Walken! He uses so much reverse phychology in this movie. He even outwits his arch enemy/impersonater!! I am speaking of the comic Jay Mohr! He and Jay have great banter together. Jay plays a rotton jerk. I would love to see Suicide Kings part 2. However, that would be hard because one of the main characters can't be in part 2. Rent the DVD. The alternate ending is brutal! I rate this one a huge thumb up!

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.

I taped this movie on the USA Network at three o'clock in the morning, watched it some time afterward, and I was blown away by this film. Former gangster Carlo Bartolucci aka Charlie Barrett (Christopher Walken in one of his best roles ever) attends a bistro where he finds that a group of swaggering young men, consisting of Max (Sean Patrick Flanery), Avery (Henry Thomas), Brett (Jay Mohr), T.K. (Jeremy Sisto), and Ira (Johnny Galecki), have taken over his usual booth. Charmed by the guys, Charlie takes them for a ride, only for them to knock him out with some chloroform while going down the Queens tunnel in a hilarious sequence. Charlie regains consciousness inside of Ira's mansion taped to a chair with one of his fingers missing, having been cut off to compensate for Avery's kidnapped sister's missing limb. The guys keep Charlie prisoner in the mansion, but soon, Charlie starts to play head games with them, and it soon becomes obvious that there is a traitor in their midst.

This darkly humorous crime thriller can be described in the most simple terms as "The Breakfast Club" meets "The Godfather" or something like that, even though I myself never saw "The Godfather." Walken is increasingly laughter-provoking, suave, and creepy all at the same time as he delivers witticism after witticism despite his usual situation. Four of the lead males (Henry Thomas, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Jeremy Sisto) all portray swaggering rich boys, while Johnny Galecki (David from TV's "Roseanne") is screamingly funny as the nitpicking nerd of the bunch and Denis Leary is his usual laid-back self as slick and wisecracking gangster Lono (what a funny name!).

I said it once and I'll say it again -- "Suicide Kings" is a darkly comical film, but it is highly recommended (for those with kids) that you watch this either late at night or while the kids are away.

I give "Suicide Kings" a 10 out of 10 on a scale of 1-10 in my humble opinion.

All of us have friends that we'd do just about anything for. OK, so maybe most of us have friends that we'd do just about anything for. If a friend of mine pitched the idea of kidnapping a mob boss for him to front the money to get my kidnapped sister back, I'd emphatically decline.

Well, in "Suicide Kings" a group of friends hatch a plan to kidnap Charlie Barret (Christopher Walken). They need him to put up $2M in order to ransom the sister of one of the guys. How and why they came up with this plan? I don't know, but I guess that's why the movie is called "Suicide Kings."

This was a fascinating movie. There were a lot of things in the air: would Charlie live or die? Would Charlie kill all of the guys? Would the money drop happen in time to save the girl? There was a lot to ponder. Those questions alone were enough to hold my attention, then it was dropped that one of the five guys was in on the kidnapping. Yummy! More mystery. I liked how the movie played out. I like Walken and, surprisingly, I like Leary in this movie as well.

Not that I needed this movie as evidence, but after watching this I'm only reassured that there's no way I'm helping my friend kidnap a mob boss to get his sister back.

Looking back at this - well I remember how much I loved it and it still holds up nicely (ok the phone thing has not aged well, but anything to do with communication will not have a good standing watching it from the 21st century back to when this played and what time and things you had to rely on) ... Having said that, this builds on a couple of things: Story and characters.

Although the latter especially is very much elevated through the actors playing them. Christopher Walken is always a gift and a guarantee, but watching Dennis Leary it made me wonder how he never really got bigger. Yes he's probably only able to do one thing (character wise), but he is so freaking good at it ... of course it's not just those two. Everyone else is great and some of them made it to some sort of fame. The cast is just superb, you kind of wonder how they got them all. But the script was good and they got the guy apparently responsible for American Gothic - great TV show that I have to revisit too sometime soon! Watch and even though there are alternate endings on the disc, the one used in the movie itself is the best ending. Shame there weren't any deleted scenes other than that - the audio commentary mentioned them and I'm sure while the movie is great as it is, it would have been nice to see them

Cool idea.

Walken is awesome, as always.

Leary is great.

The problem with the movie is the kids cast are all B to C actors, at best.

And I will never understand how Daffy Duck, Louis Lombardi, ever had a career.

Garret and Madrino act so goofy they REALLY cheapen the experience.

2 serious actors in their roles bump it a grade.

All and all, a film crippled by 'no small parts' not being honored.

But the story is so good, and Walken and Leary are so entertaining - it still comes off as a decent flick.

I struggled between a 6 or 7 with this. Johnny Galecki is so horrible it makes me want to give it a 6; but I can't find it in my heart to give anything graced by Walken such a low score.

A survey of the cast, which include Christopher Walken, Jay Mohr, and Denis Leary, suggests there might have been a cracker here, alas 'Suicide Kings' founders with a script more shallow than a paddling pool and plot so contorted an audience can feel cheated.

The collegiate bucks at the centre of this film make up annoying group of young man, each friends and each jerks with an intense pre-existing dislike for each other. That makes it doubly bizarre and unbelievable to suppose they'd ever trust each other to carry out the convoluted plan which serves as the basis of the story. Indeed they're all so devoid of any redeeming qualities it's difficult to imagine why we should care what happens to them.

Ultimately I'm left assuming this was an attempt at a thriller with the shock value of 'The Usual Suspects', but the devices used are so obvious you spend half the film second guessing an answer that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. In fact whatever you come up with would probably have been better.

This is a dud.

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. : )~

Don't betray your friends is the lesson we learn out of this nice film. The film has a surprising plot which gives the viewer a nice shock. I like the acting of the young boys a lot. Even Ira, the neurotic dumb friend, awakes sympathy in the end. Christopher Walken tied to a chair in most part of the movie is an amazing gangster. But the best thing is the lesson that you should always be true to your friends.

This is certainly not an intelligent movie, that plays with you, tricks you, surprises you .. I found nothing to stimulate my mind .. The villains hence the ending becomes visible before half-an-hour counter elapses .. You are introduced with an interesting plot, but with no other driving factors that will keep you interested till the end ..

The acting is definitely poor .. The only characters that save the movie are the old-crime-king (Walken) and his driver (Leary) .. But, even these two actors are somewhat below their well-known quality, because of the messy and amateurish dialog .. The young actors show no talent at all, even if they have some .. Only the wanna-be-doctor character, T.K., is somewhat interesting, the rest, especially Ira, kept be irritated all the time .. No character study is visible, no motivation, nothing .. The lines are spoken with no mind nor soul .. Without Walken (and Leary) this movie would be in the trash ..

The saving feature of the movie is its plot (not the script, but the general plot) - the reason why my rating is above half-way point .. Several ideas are certainly unique, but the negative aspects corrupt the movie to the roots ..

Bottom Line - Minimal enjoyment for crime/thriller fans .. I found no reason to keep the movie in my movie collection for a second viewing in the future - I don't regret the time I spent for the movie, but I will regret if I (am forced to) watch it again ..

This is the greatest movie you've never heard of. Its not popluar by any means but is one everyone should see. Its a sort of wannabe gangster movie with many twists and turns and although it is a drama you will find yourself laughing throughout

I think, and this is only my personal opinion, this movie have a great story. But this could be much better. Christopher Walken did fantastic job in this role and I can single out Johnny Galecki as Ira and Henry Thomas as Avery, rest of cast is average. With better screenplay, this could be one of best thrillers in 20th century. I bet it. Either way, this movie is good. 7/10.

This was a neat movie, a cool "botched crime" film with a lot actors before they were big and Christopher Walken leading the charge. It has twists, turns, suspense, dark humor, and plenty of style to go around. The problem is that the script doesn't necessarily reconcile all of these components into a viable whole. I was confused as to why two of the main characters were even there, and why any of them thought their plan would work. It felt like a contrived setup to get to a wild payoff. If you can turn your brain off this is a cool movie and a fun ride, but if not you're going to struggle with it. Maybe I should give it another watch but im not sure if it's worth the time.

This is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. The acting is amazing, the cast is perfect, cameras are great. For an intense movie, it also has quite a bit of comedy, which makes a big difference in comparing it to other "thrillers." Someone else wrote a great plot summary, so I won't write anything about that, but I believe that if you have a chance to see this, don't miss out.

Suicide Kings belongs to the weird little sub-genre of films that appeared in the mid to late 90's that basically just tried to follow / steal ideas from Tarantino movies and Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects.

Whats surprising about this effort is that it's really rather good true the Tarantino influences are there for all to see (Denis Leary's boots monologue etc.) but this doesn't effect what is a quality little thriller. Of course all thrillers rely on the performance of the actors to generate the required tension and pacing it's here suicide kings plays it's ace in a menacing performance by Christopher Walken. Walken uses that incendiary stare and general eriness to good effect and even though he spends 90% of the movie tied up we always know who is in control.

The other performances are pretty good and there are a few well known faces from TV etc who all do pretty well. The script is good and the idea is interesting and unique. All in all this is a very entertaining movie.

7/10 - Not a shred of originality but plenty of entertainment

I don't get it. Everyone raves about this movie, but I found it predictable and trite. It seemed much longer than it was. I have no objection to long movies, just short movies that seem long. Overall, I think it fails to live up to its undeserved hype.