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List Price: $14.95 | | Label: Ifc
Salesrank: 10779
Released: October 9, 2007 |
| Our Price: $6.66 |
| Used Price: $2.87 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
A street-smart mob comedy about a hitman (Kingsley) with a drinking problem that gets in the way of his killing. When mismatched people find a common calling the most unlikely relationships are formed and explored through dead-on performances by Kingsley Wilson and Leoni.System Requirements:Run Time: 93 minutes Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 796019805377
Description of You Kill Me:
Ben Kingsley is remarkable in You Kill Me, a comedy-drama with an absurdist touch. The Oscar-winning British actor plays Frank Falenczyk, an alcoholic hitman from New York sent by his boss, Roman (Philip Baker Hall), to dry out in San Francisco just when a new crime lord (Dennis Farina) is moving in on Roman's turf. Frank reluctantly follows instructions and takes a Bay Area apartment, finds a part-time job as a mortician, and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Acquiring a thoughtful sponsor and friend (Luke Wilson) through AA, Frank begins reflecting seriously about his life and responsibilities, and even becomes romantically involved with a delightfully acerbic woman (Téa Leoni).
Feeling respected and loved in the early days of his sobriety, Frank does what a lot of people do in similar situations: take stock of past mistakes and be completely honest with everyone. When he reveals to his companions and AA group that he has, at times, seriously messed up his work as a killer because of booze, the universal response is supportive with only a streak of, well, moral ambivalence. From there, the sky's the limit for a hired gun with a boost in self-esteem. You Kill Me is the kind of movie that can get an audience to suspend disbelief significantly without drawing too much attention to that fact. But that doesn't mean the film's noir roots don't show. Director John Dahl (The Last Seduction) has made You Kill Me as tough as any other movie he's shot, and his fascination with human weakness and resilience in the face of unexpected obstacles enriches a wonderful story. --Tom Keogh
You Kill Me Reviews:
must see 
2008-09-01 - This is a must see for anyone in a twelve step program. All of us who watched it laughed our sober butts off. There was no way to make this better.
well-acted dark comedy 
2008-08-22 - ***1/2
Frank Falenczyk is the primo hit man for the Polish mafia in Buffalo, an organization that has come under increasing attack from Greek and Chinese gangs trying to muscle their way into the area. Frank also happens to be a raging alcoholic, a condition that has been adversely affecting his job performance of late (he`s either messing up his killings or missing his targets altogether). To rectify the problem, his bosses send him off to San Francisco, where he is immediately enrolled in an AA program, the plan being that when he has finally sobered up, he'll be able to return home and resume his life as a paid assassin.
Part crime drama and part May-December romance, "You Kill Me" is a wry dark comedy that features, amidst its various other virtues, a "killer" performance by Ben Kingsley. Frank is a man who means no ill-will towards anyone, even the people who fall victim to his occupation. Killing-for-hire is just a job like any other to Frank, and he really only feels guilty when he gets sloppy in his work (usually the result of the alcoholism), resulting in unnecessary suffering for his target. Otherwise, he strives to be a professional in his job and takes great pride in his work - or at least he would if he could ever get this monkey off his back. Even his new girlfriend in San Francisco - after some initial hesitation over the whole I`m-dating-a-hit-man thing - comes to see the soundness of his way of thinking. Still, there's nothing like the love of a good, nonjudgmental woman to inspire a man to engage in some serious introspective soul-searching and to provide him with a whole new outlook on life.
Filled with offbeat characters and witty one-liners, the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely has a sly way of insinuating itself into our affections despite the potential distastefulness lurking in the premise. Still, the "lovable killer" has long been an accepted staple of movie comedy (the little old ladies in "Arsenic and Old Lace," Dennis Price in "Kind Hearts and Coronets," Charlie Chaplin in "Monsieur Verdoux," just to name a few) and Kingsley's marvelously understated and self-effacing performance makes Frank fit to stand alongside such distinguished company. For added interest, this performance is almost a flipside antidote to the one he gave in "Sexy Beast," wherein he turned a cold-blooded killer into a cringe-inducing monster.
As Laurel, the pragmatic woman who falls for this decidedly unorthodox older man, Tea Leoni brings a great deal of believability and charm to their relationship. And although Luke Wilson is pretty much wasted in the underdeveloped part of Frank's AA sponsor, Dennis Farina and Phillip Baker Hall flesh out their small but effective roles as two warring mob bosses.
Quick ship - Perfect Condition 
2008-07-10 - What a hoot! This is such a funny movie - and with no "drags." Ben Kinsley is perfect in the roll of hit man. Not a great movie (certainly not a Ghandi - but it wasn't meant to be!), but worth watching for a lot of laughs. Luke Wilson is one of the most under-rated actors in the business. He was perfect - absolutely believable for his role!
You Kill Me
2008-06-13 - Could not believe how much I really liked this movie! Ben Kingsley is awesome! Keeps an interesting storyline going while showing the true stages of change for an alcoholic. Good movie for a counselor to show clients in recovery if the whole contract killer plot does not bother you! John Dahl came back with this movie.
WONDERFUL MIX OF COMEDY AND DRAMA!
2008-05-26 - 'You Kill Me' is one of those films that comes around every so often. You will run through a gambit of emotions watching this great little independent film. Ben Kingsley and Tea Leoni are exceptional in their roles, but even small roles by actors (Bill Pullman & Luke Wilson)that usually don't impress me are really good in this quirky, smart and funny movie. It's short, sweet and it has the right amount of comedy and drama for my taste. This is a very good film that should be seen by all movie lovers.
