Suicide Kings

Suicide Kings

Suicide Kings
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Christopher Walken, Denis Leary, Jay Della, Mark Watson (II), Nina Siemaszko
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Live / Artisan

Movie Reviews of Suicide Kings

Movie Review: An Overall Excellent Film
Summary: 5 Stars

Looking for a mob movie that doesn't star Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino? Neither am I, but, hey, sometimes you need a little variety in your repetoir, right? Suicide Kings is, in my opinion, this variety. Starring Christopher Walken and backed-up by Dennis Leary and a cast of up-and-comers, Suicide Kings succeeds remarkably at creating a dark and twisted tail of revenge, betrayal and getting in over your head.

Walken plays Carlo Bartolucci (also known in the movie as Charlie Barret), a mob boss recently returned from prison and having a night out on the town. During this he is joined by a group of college-aged kids also seemingly celebrating. As the night continues, these youngsters kidnap him.

After a few turns the kids motives are revealed: They're going to use Charlie's ransom money to pay off ANOTHER ransom, that of one of the kidnapper's girlfriends. What follows is a beautifully political example of Stockholm's Psychology as Walken's mob boss systematically turns each of the conspirator's against the other, all the while contacting his right-hand man, played by the fabulously energetic Dennis Leary.

Though this picture has many strong points, including a great plot, excellent scripting and superb acting, it has a few flaws that warrant a four-star rating rather than a five-star, in my opinion. First is the pacing. At times, the movie drags in places where it seems as if the writer wasn't sure what to do next. Though it swiftly recovers from these moments, they still occur enough to bring an impatient sigh or two.

Some of the cinematography is lacking as well, speaking characters are slightly blocked or transitions a bit questionable. There isn't any shaking camera or bad panning, just a few places where I think it could have been done better. In the end, though, the effect is negligible and barely detracts from the movie as a whole.

All in all, this is an excellent film. Walken and Leary are on target as always, and the plot has just enough turns to keep it interesting without being confusing. The best thing about the picture is probably the script, though. Some of the quotes are just brilliant. I heartily recommend this film to mob-movie afficionados and psych-thriller junkies alike.

Summary of Suicide Kings

Here's another gritty independent film that tries to invade Tarantino territory by casting Christopher Walken--that most reliable of indie-film actors--as a Mobster who gets chummy with a group of preppie-like young men and becomes the victim of a kidnapping scheme. One of the kidnappers (Henry Thomas) has a sister who's been abducted by another group of kidnappers, and they've bagged Walken for his Mob connections and negotiating power. What follows is a game of psychological strategy in which the desperate group of guys slowly lose their advantage to the smarter, more experienced gangster--even though they've got Walken tied to a chair. The situation turns volatile when the young men start to doubt the wisdom of their strategy and suspect betrayal within the group, and Suicide Kings turns into a talky, repetitious thriller only partially redeemed by Denis Leary's cagey role as Walken's Mob lieutenant. The movie's a showcase for its cast of rising talent (including Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, Johnny Galecki, and Sean Patrick Flanery), but not even Walken can hold it all together. What's best about the film is Leary's sinister presence in a peripheral role and Walken's trademark villainy, here toned down to a steady, simmering menace. --Jeff Shannon
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