Un baiser avant de mourir

"like a bad tv movie" Thanks to MCMucus, Kalamazoo. You summed it up in 5 words. I could only add that a pompous score tries to tell you that a wonderful drama is unfolding in front of you. It's not. It's hard to find anything of value in this film.

The large part of the fun of watching A Kiss Before Dying is looking out for the number of Hitchcock movie moments the film is paying tribute to: from Psycho's shower shots and the lonesome mother's house our Norman Bates has escaped from, to the bleaching of the heroine and taking the Kim Novak role a la Vertigo with possibly lethal consequences. I was hugely amused and never mind the creaking plot. On a technical level, I loved the Technicolor hue of the film, very Hitchcock period too. I'm not sure why the lead actress, Sean Young, got a double Razzie award for her dual role. It seems undeserved. I'm sure there must have been far worse performances in 1991 to choose from.

This film contains a very good performance from Matt Dillion, but the rest isn't very good at all. Bad pacing, I was ultimately bored unless Dillion was on the screen. If you are a Matt Dillion fan check it out.

With a few changes, and for reasons known only to themselves, the powers that be remade 1956's "A Kiss Before Dying" in 1991. Now the sisters are twins, and the plot is taken out further - rather than just getting engaged, Ellen now marries the killer. That's not a spoiler - we see him murder her sister in the first reel.

The original of this film, with Robert Wagner, Joanne Woodward, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith and Mary Astor was much more entertaining. This update is boring and acted in a lazy manner by its stars, Sean Young I, Sean Young II, and Matt Dillon. Isn't one Sean Young bad enough, we had to have two of them? Supporting players Diane Ladd and Max von Sydow have precious little to do. The only part I liked was the scene from "Vertigo" on TV - but I do hope the director wasn't trying to compare himself to Hitchcock.

I don't understand Hollywood's obsession with remakes, except that I suppose they're cheaper because the studio already owns the property. But a fresh story line here and there wouldn't hurt. On top of which, it is a rare occasion when the remake is actually better. This is not one of those cases.

Usually when a person is so motivated to go to any lengths to achieve his dream it's depicted as a good thing. But when that person is Jonathan Corliss (Dillon), it's a nightmare for those who care about him and bloody executions for those who stand in his way.

Matt Dillon's performance as a charming psychopath is what works very well in "A Kiss Before Dying". Corliss, a blue collar Philadelphia lad with huge ambitions, sets his sights on a Copper Baron's (Max Von Sydow) empire and plans to become a member of the family. When it becomes necessary to dispose of the Baron's daughter (Sean Young), Corliss (under an alias) moves on to her twin sister (Young again) and enters the family. But hiding his tracks and his former life proves quite the hassle and Corliss has no reservations with killing every one who stands in his way of greatness in the Copper business.

A double doze of Sean Young is a bit too much to take; she's simply an astonishingly bad actress but Dillon more than makes up for that. His Jonathan Corliss is a very memorable psychopath. It's never made crystal clear as to why he set his sights solely on Von Sydow's empire but his journey on the way is suspenseful. It's not a very graphic film but it does have some very nasty moments and disturbing death scenes.

Director Dearden makes no attempts in admitting his affection for Alfred Hitchcock and some moments here are obviously a tribute to the old master of suspense. The ending does feel a bit rushed but overall "A Kiss Before Dying" is an above average thriller with some striking and memorable set pieces.