| YOU KILL ME |
 2007 - USADirector: John Dahl
- Reviewed by Vickie
If you’re Frank (Ben Kingsley), a once-great but now-useless triggerman trying to make a living in the frigid climes of Buffalo, NY, you wind up in the middle of a crime-family intervention and find yourself sent to San Francisco to sort yourself out. Or else. You’re also the surprisingly appealing and sympathetic lead character in this wickedly dark comedy from director John Dahl (The Last Seduction). The central story is two-fold: one side follows Frank the hit man as he tries to get straight so he can go back to killing people properly instead of, as he laments, screwing up the hits and forcing his victims to die slowly. The other side is one of the most uniquely charming and wonderfully twisted love stories to hit screens in a while, as Frank develops a budding romance with a neurotic woman named Laurel (the highly underrated and always entertaining Téa Leoni), who has more of a problem with Frank’s drinking than she does with his line of work. Smartly written and full of terrific little moments, You Kill Me takes a chance by asking audiences to actually root for a killer to overcome his debilitating vices... and it works. Frank isn’t the most likable character to ever walk the Earth, but in Kingsley’s hands he becomes a curiously vulnerable, insecure addict who just happens to work for a crime syndicate run by his uncle (Philip Baker Hall). He’s also really funny—a no-nonsense hit man trying to navigate the sometimes-questionable processes of a 12-step program? Like making amends? Really? Brilliant. And, as good as Kingsley is, Leoni is even better. I don’t understand why she doesn’t work more because she has a natural gift for comedy. Laurel’s exasperation with the dating process and, even more so, her new beau’s difficulties are some of the film’s best bits. You Kill Me is a small movie that will likely wind up lost in the big-budget, high-concept summer-movie stampede. But, if you get a chance, seek it out as a cinematic sorbet for the popcorn-heavy season. [Read Moviepie's exclusive interview with director John Dahl.] |
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What happens when you’re a hit man whose alcoholism is seriously
messing up your trade?
