Kill Me Again

Director - John Dahl (Dexter, True Blood)
Starring - Val Kilmer (The Thaw, MacGruber), Joanne Whalley (A Christmas Carol, Pink Floyd The Wall), and Michael Madsen (Infected, Kill Bill)
Release Date - 1989
Genre - Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller
Tagline - "Her last request was his first mistake"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've always been somewhat of a Val Kilmer fan.  I grew up when Joel Schumaker was releasing his Batman films and Batman Forever was a staple in my household.  My cousins loved it, my little sister loved it, and I can't deny how much I loved it.  Now, people seem to shit talk it but the kids that grew up with it still deep down have some sort of fondness for the film.  I watched the movie several times and started to memorize the names in the opening intro.  I quickly remembered Val Kilmer as Batman which made me seek out his other films.  I found two films of his at the local video store, The Island of Dr. Moreau and Real Genius.  Both were great films and brought about a lot of respect for Kilmer.  Over the years I have slowly collected his films but one I had never seen was his 1989 action flick Kill Me Again.  It looked fun but I never happened across a copy.  That changed when Olive Films released the film on bluray.  Like always, I reached out to Olive and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film begins with Vince (Madsen) and Fay (Whalley) as they rob a cash pick up for the mob and take off with the money.  They have conflicting ideas about where to go and what to do with the money.  Vince wants to hide out in the dessert for a year or so and then move on while Fay wants to move to Vegas and live the life.  When they are unable to resolve their conflicts, Fay knocks Vince out and leaves with the money.  She goes to Vegas and seeks out detective Jack Andrews (Kilmer) to help her hide from Vince.  They decide to stage Fay's death and change her name.  They are able to pull it off but Jack is named as one of the suspects which prompts a visit from Vince.  A game of cat and mouse ensues that is full of lies and deceit resulting in Jack fighting for his life while trying to keep the cash from Fay and Vince.

     There is four actors outside of the horror legends that I truly enjoy watching on screen.  Kilmer is one of those men.  His films are always fun but his acting may not always be spot on.  Sometimes I get the feeling he is just being himself on screen and not acting like someone else.  Kill Me Again was a fun film that I honestly wish I would have seen before now.  The film may not be groundbreaking but it was still fun.  The acting in this one is solid.  Kilmer and his then wife Whalley were great.  They worked very well together and you could feel the connection between the two.  At times you could see animosity and resentment between them and at others you could really see the passion.  However, the real star of the show is Michael Madsen.  He was fucking intense and brought a lot of action and chaos to all of his scenes.  This is easily my favorite performance from him.  He absolutely nailed it.  The story for this one is not that original nor is it that clever.  We have seen dozen of action crime films over the years that follows a mobster or gangster chasing down his stolen money.  This is nothing new nor does it reinvent the sub-genre.  What sets this one apart from the other films using similar stories is the characters.  We get every man character Jack Andrews who is relatable to almost every guy but we also get his smoking hot love interest and her deranged ex.  This two are like inflammable to a flame.  They all work so well and pull the viewer in.  Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills.  The kills are well done and bloody but nothing imaginative that you would get in a horror flick.  They work well for the film and the special effects for these kills are great.  Overall, Kill Me Again is a vastly underrated crime drama from the late 80s that deserves your attention.  It has a great cast and memorable characters.  The action is a little dry but the kills are great.  Well worth your time so check it out.