Kiss of Death (UK)

This is a rather under-appreciated motion picture and it was never given a satisfactory push in this country. I`d hazard a guess that casual movie-watchers will probably be unaware of its existence. Considering it stars Nic Cage, Sam L Jackson, Helen Hunt and numerous other A-list actors, the reasons for the wide-spread ambivalence are a real mystery.

The first time I saw the film was when it was screened on network T.V. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by it too. Of course, my low expectations played a really big part in how much I enjoyed it, but it`s a thoroughly satisfying no-nonesense production however you approach it. The story is a solidly plausible affair and the performances are consistenly top-notch throughout.

"So why isn`t it more well-known?" I hear you cry. Basically, it`s a T.V movie in the body of a cinematic one. Or to put it another way, the money was obviously spent in extensive pre-production (and the actors pay-checks!) rather than on the screen. Maybe the name of the project was the most inappropriate idea of all, as there aren`t any "kisses of death" in it whatsoever, or any mention of anything vaguely related to that particular title. So the behind-the-scenes effort did fall at the last hurdle and it`s a shame they didn`t re-name and re-package the movie for the european market.

If you expect a thrill-a-minute explosion-fest then you WILL be disappointed because the screenplay/acting/plot are the pivotal driving-forces and NOT exciting visuals (although there are some tense moments of real quality, generated purely by the actors and the narrative). It`s your call really. If a believable crime-story with some human drama is enough to hold your attention for an hour and a half, then this is a must and quasi-T.V movies don`t get any better than this.

Compared to, say, 15 minutes (De Niro`s latest rental), Kiss of Death is a much more cohesive and entertaining film. The catch-22 drama is particularly resonant and you do feel sympathy for the leading-man (David Caruso). The "wearing a wire" going undercover angle has been seen several times before, but they execute it so effectively here that it almost seems fresh. Above all though, it`s a well-thought-out and believable tale which is evenly paced and well-performed.

I bought myself this R2 release because it has an Anamorphic print AND 5.1 sound (a big step-up from network T.V!). The A/V quality is very respectable too. The AC3 audio has a spacious sound-stage and the picture is clean and free of distracting enhancements. Surprisingly, there are some extras on offer too!. It`s all press-pack stuff in all honesty (and uninspiring press-pack stuff at that), but at least they`ve gone to the trouble of locating this material. You get one featurette, some brief-ish interviews (titled "soundbites") and a 4:3 trailer.

Basically, it`s worth a rent (at the very least) and the disc is better than usual for such a low-profile, back-catalogue title.