Perez's story is a straightforward tribute to classic vigilante b-movies, most notably a tribute to the "Death Wish" franchise, and original gun carrying bad a** Charles Bronson. Take one part vigilante , add equal parts criminal , uber bad guys and disgusting assaults and atrocious acts against women. ..viola! It is classic and timeless. And just as the films before it, "Death Kiss" serves up an action driven bloodbath.
The film is not without flaws, budget restraints and writing down weaken when pushed further than the cast and production can handle. Luckily dialog is, for the most part, short - to the point, and simple through most of the film. The choice of Daniel Baldwin'so character to handle the real hefty dialog as a bridge between audience and plot details is a smart move, and Baldwin shines. That and the fact that Kovacs is nearly devoid of dialog, letting his actions speak brutally sharp for him creates a nice, and entertaining movie experience.
There are also a few flaws in the effects, again, obvious budget concerns put Perez at a limit of what can be achieved. He does a pretty decent job. Aside from the cheap "buzz kill" moments of CGI blood splatter and barral flashes, "Death Kiss" has some cool practical carnage stuff. Done pretty close to realistic the gore and bloodshed work. The overall effect of the movie is a tight, low-budget indie flick fitting somewhere between crime exploitation and grindhouse action film. Definitely worth checking out if you're a crime thriller, vigilante Bronson fan
