Kill Me Again

Two crooks (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer and Michael Madsen) kill a man and steal a briefcase full of money. Then Whalley-Kilmer knocks Madsen out and runs off to Las Vegas with all of it. When there she hires a private investigator (Val Kilmer) to fake her death to get Madsen off her trail. Naturally everything goes wrong.

Laid back film noir. It's well done with an intricate plot and plenty of double crosses. It's beautifully shot too. Still I wasn't too crazy about it. The movie is just TOO laid back. Everything unfolds in such a quiet easy-going way that it lacks the tension that a really good noir gives you. It's not the fault of the cast. Kilmer is good and his then wife Whalley-Kilmer is excellent but the direction and editing is done in such a leisurely fashion that it mutes their acting. Even the violence is done in a casual laid-back way! It's not a total disaster and is worth catching but I couldn't stop thinking of how really good this could have been. A 7.

What a sexy woman Joanne Whalley is. I can see why Kilmer grabbed her & married her. In this she's the antecedent of the Linda Fiorentino character in Last Seduction, another wondrously sexy wench. John Dahl has a unique & powerful knack for choosing strong actresses & bringing out the universal vixen in them.

The plot's nothing terribly original but it plays its familiar theme with some nice changes & variations. It has that classic quality that the best "noir" films had: it moves right along & keeps you in the center of the action.

One thing I find curious is that no one (to my knowledge) has ever linked the Michael Madsen throat-cutting scene in this film with the Michael Madsen ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs. Give credit where it's due!

Unlike the title, once turned out to be just right. I should have stopped at one viewing, which I really liked. For some reason, a second look five years later wasn't nearly the fun. All of sudden, the characters just were too hard-edged with a sadistic killer and lead female that were not fun to watch. Maybe I'm just mellowing and these type of low-lifes just don't appeal to me anymore, at least when comprise two- thirds of the main characters.

So, if you like nasty characters with a big mean streak in them, ones that have no ethics whatsoever and are proud of it, then'll you like this modern-day film noir very much. Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer and Michael Madsen are not three people you want as friends, particularly the last two.

The story has a few twists - big twists - near the end, although I suppose if you thought about it long enough you'd discover some credibility problems with it. Nonetheless, you have to give this film decent points for one thing: it entertains you for the full 95 minutes.

Somehow the dark, horrifically-empty aspect of modern American life - which is itself especially starkly on view in NV - is precisely nailed by this film. The film might aptly be subtitled - "The Illusion of Love in a Dead Culture like ours". Yes, outwardly, it's about the astonishing betrayals and cruelty everybody - good or bad - will go through to get their hands on the attache case with the mob's money. But inwardly it's about the search for a love that has sunk irretrievably below the surface of one of Nevada's beautiful lakes. But it is on the "inner" level that this movie really struck at me. It is set in Nevada: Winnemucca, Reno, Vegas, Overton etc. Well-developed, uniquely-identified, memorable characters; excellent acting by all; crisp, often amusing, dialogue; well-plotted and paced with surprising twists and turns, and a surprising climax. The haunting background music (William Olvis) alone is worth the seeing the movie for.

Val Kilmer and Joanne Walley Kilmer make a great team in this absorbing movie of cross, double cross, triple cross. The editing was a little choppy but not enough to really detract from this absorbing story. Good looking Joanne Whalley cons low-rent private eye, Kilmer, into helping her fake her death to escape her ostensibly murderous ex-boyfriend, played by Michael Madsen. Once the plan is in motion Whalley constantly shifts allegiance depending upon who seems to have the upper hand. This movie actually does not pretend to be profound or politically deep. For me that's a plus as I get enough politics every day and just want some good escapist fare.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

The psychopath Vince Miller (Michael Madsen) and his girlfriend Fay Forrester (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) kill a mobster and rob his wallet with a large amount. Then Fay double-crosses the abusive Vince and flees with the money to Reno. She hires the needy private investigator Jack Andrews (Val Kilmer), who grieves the death of his wife and owes ten thousand-dollars to loan sharks, to simulate her death telling that she wants to start a new life without her boyfriend. He accepts the offer and produces her fake death. However she betrays Andrews and escapes to Las Vegas without paying the rest of the money, leaving him as the prime suspect of her death for the police. Andrews finds Fay in Las Vegas and they have a love affair. Meanwhile the police, the mobsters and Vince hunt them down.

Despite the flaws, "Kill Me Again" is a great neo-noir film with a sordid story. Michael Madsen is perfect in the role of a psychopath scum as well Val Kilmer in the role of a smalltime private investigator. Joanne Whalley does not have the profile of femme fatale but has a good performance. However, the plot point with Fay teaming up with Vince against Andrews after letting him hide the money is flawed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Mate-me Outra Vez" ("Kill Me Again")