You Kill Me

Frank Falenczyk (Ben Kingsley) is a hit-man for the Polish mob in Buffalo but the drinking is getting in the way. He is forced to sober up in San Francisco. Tom (Luke Wilson) is his sponsor from AA, and he gets a mortician job. He falls for Laurel Pearson (Téa Leoni) who loves older men because they're done testing.

Ben Kingsley is going deadpan acting in this one. He's especially proud of the precision in his killings. It's not the killing that he regrets. It's the lack of professionalism when he was drinking. It's a quirky character. He, Leoni, and Wilson are all likable people. They talk about the craziest things nonchalantly. It's a rather low energy affair. It's a quirky and cute cast, but they're not necessarily laugh out loud funny. Kingsley is too calm. He needs to play up the wackiness.

You Kill Me is a cute entertainment. John Dahl, whose atmospheric noir thrillers Kill Me Again, Unforgettable and The Last Seduction fascinated me with their coziness and whose Rounders absorbs me to watch it repeatedly and never grow tired of it, directs a film that, despite not bearing the familiar climate his other films have, still has that tucked up warmth that they all have, even his lesser ones like Red Rock West.

This movie has a very dry sense of humor that works even when it isn't a punchline, which makes it consistent. For instance, Ben Kingsley, a Polish hit man who is sent to an AA in San Francisco, nonchalantly and laconically tells the group that he is a hired killer and that his goal is to overcome his drinking problem so he can return to being a competent murderer. The group, as dry and morbidly apathetic as he is, simply applaud him and welcome him with support, which very much taps into my own personal sense of black humor.

Dahl's early noirs always had a similar sense of humor that never detracted from their darkness or their moodiness or their seamless noir home video or late-night movie-going feel. However, You Kill Me is a straight comedy yet it has the same degree of black tongue-in-cheekness, thus it isn't a gem like the others. You Kill Me is a light amusement that one enjoys and passes. Dahl's direction is tight and laid back and the story is very preoccupying.

There's a sleepiness to this movie. The cast is very secure and likable, especially Kingsley and Dennis Farina, who returns to the gangster comedy like a highly anticipated guest at a reunion. Even before the gorgeous San Francisco locale, the Buffalo, NY bookends are very gladdening and infused well. We don't often get movies that showcase organized crime in smaller cities, much less the scant Polish mob. You Kill Me is not electric. It's a movie to watch curled up in bed at night or in the morning to get lost in. And it's done by one of the best craftsmen of that plain-and-simple family of cinema.

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.

From the screenwriters of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes the R-rated black comedy You Kill Me. It's an odd pairing, but at least you can say these guys have range. To helm this film, about a hit-man whose drinking problem has caused sloppiness and perhaps the demise of his Polish gang in Buffalo, we have John Dahl. I am a huge fan of Rounders, so I was hoping for some of the same here, with a dramatic arc that worked and made sense intelligently, but also bringing the laughs that the trailer promised. Thankfully this film doesn't disappoint. Yes, there are some moments of disbelief, but the dry, straight-laced delivery of everything else makes up for the leaps in logic that would otherwise eat at me for the duration. While not laugh-out-loud funny, Dahl has put together a nice slow burning comedy that allows its characters to live and breathe realistically and evolve in a somewhat believable manner.

Our aforementioned hit-man is played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley. I remember when I used to look at him as just Ghandi, but after the diverse catalog of films he has done recently, I've realized that he isn't afraid to branch out into darker fare. His role here has a lot going for it in comedic terms—he is an alcoholic, a loner that kills for money, and a resident of the arctic pole of Buffalo. Put all that together and you can think of a few funny situations for him to get into. To the filmmakers' credit, though, we never really get any of that except for the opening "job." When Kingsley's Frank sleeps through the one big job he is relied on to do, everything falls apart. What happens next is his journey to sobriety and friendship/love to pull him through to an understanding about what he really is living for. What worked for a film like The Matador couldn't be as effective here. Frank isn't having a nervous breakdown or losing his cool, he is off the job seeking help so that he can go back on the payroll. We don't need him to drunkenly wave a loaded gun at people, the comedy instead comes from his fish-out-of-water situation, being a cold-hearted killer trying to warm up to recovering alcoholics and a community he is not used to being sober around.

Kingsley definitely plays the role to perfection, never faltering from his matter-of-fact tone or takes no crap attitude. Everything out of his mouth is carefully orchestrated and he is not one to waste his own or others' time. This fact makes some scenes hilarious because of the reactions from those he is speaking to. When he speaks from the heart and seriously, while sprinkling in his own experiences murdering people, during AA meetings, the utter silence and occasional Amen from the audience is gold. Besides his unfaltering demeanor and his sardonic sarcasm, it is when he plays off of love interest Téa Leoni when some of the best laughs occur. These two have a wonderful rapport and when they go at each other rapid fire, with one quip/comeback after another, you'd think it was all ad-libbed—the timing is that good. Leoni has been surprising me lately with her career. I don't know why I used to think she was annoying, but recently having seen films like House of D and her early work in Flirting With Disaster, I realize that she is good at both the dramatic and the comedic.

The who's who of supporting players also does a nice job anchoring the story. Luke Wilson seems to really just be playing himself, but the laidback friend is what is needed for the role. Philip Baker Hall and Dennis Farina show how it's done as two rival mob bosses in Buffalo, (yes, I said mob bosses in Buffalo, I'm constantly scared for my life when walking around downtown at night). Their storyline is handled well and counteracts the subtle humor going on at rehab in San Francisco with some tense moments trying to keep the Polish afloat at the hands of the ever increasing Irish crew. Mention is also needed for Bill Pullman who has been making some good choices of late in small supporting roles. His self-absorbed real estate agent is entertaining because his ego won't let him be intimidated by the killer he is conversing with.

The laughs may not come over and over again, but when they do it's smartly and appropriately. The fact that everyone in San Fran who hears Kingsley is a hit-man just accept it like someone saying they washed their clothes that morning is a bit rough to get by, but really it doesn't matter in terms of plot progression. The writers also try to distill the problem with Frank saying how it's Alcoholics "Anonymous," which brings a smile to your face for nothing more than the corniness of the line. I also don't know how perfect placing the movie in Buffalo was. It seems the writers needed a cold, drinking town up north and our wonderful home of Buffalo was the first to come to their heads. When was the last time you heard about the Irish and Polish mob going to war while the Greeks stood back to see who came out on top? Yeah, that's right, never. I did like the touch of hometown words by naming an Irish bar Scajaqueda. Just proves again these guys had no clue what they were doing with location. Overall, though, the film works despite any of its shortcomings.

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.