Doesn't quite plum the depths of Gigli, but it's clearly cut from the same cloth ... flat and barely entertaining.
You Kill Me (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:110
Fresh:86
Rotten:24
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Featuring wonderful performances from Ben Kingsley and Tea Leoni, You Kill Me is a charming, funny take on the familiar inner-lives-of-hit-men premise.
Theatrical Release:Jun 22, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $2,311,434
Synopsis: Cinematic hit men are dual-edged characters who can easily slip into the role of hero or villain, making them an attractive proposition for directors looking to pack an emotional punch. YOU KILL ME... Cinematic hit men are dual-edged characters who can easily slip into the role of hero or villain, making them an attractive proposition for directors looking to pack an emotional punch. YOU KILL ME stars Ben Kingsley (SEXY BEAST) as Frank Falenczyk, a hit man whose work for the Buffalo-based Mafia has been hampered by his hopeless alcoholism. Director John Dahl (THE LAST SEDUCTION) sends his lead character off to San Francisco where Alcoholics Anonymous awaits, as does Dave (Bill Pullman), who helps Frank get an apartment and a job in a mortuary. The job introduces Frank to Laurel (Téa Leoni), whom he begins a relationship with while occasionally falling off the wagon and attending AA meetings. Luke Wilson makes an appearance as a fellow alcoholic who mentors Frank through the program. YOU KILL ME is a wonderful return to form for Dahl, who has struggled to build on his early, noir-inflected career. Kingsley is as reliable as ever in the central role, and he demonstrates an impressive array of emotions as the film progresses. Credit is also due to co-screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who deliver a tight and hugely enjoyable plot while also adding generous doses of dark humor throughout. Intelligent and fun, YOU KILL ME is likely to gain a strong word-of-mouth reputation as viewers are lured into its fold. [More]
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina, Bill Pullman
Director: John Dahl
Director: John Dahl
Screenwriter: Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus
Producer: Carol Baum, Al Corley
Studio: IFC Films
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Reviews for You Kill Me
This crime comedy has such a goofy script and such an eccentric cast that it kept me curious about what would happen next.
In talented hands, this might have the makings of a good comedy...As it is, it is one of the worst films I've had to endure this year, and that's saying a lot.
A badly written hash of a film, which will struggle to please even the most devout Sir Ben fans.
A fitfully amusing black comedy about an alcoholic assassin, its well-drawn characters drown in a generic gangster plot and a painfully low budget.
Along with the splendid principals, [the secondary cast] round out an extraordinarily accomplished ensemble.
Plays quite a bit broader than [Dahl's] earlier work, but the director's sly tone and talent with character actors remains intact. It already feels old, in a good way.
The deadpan tone doesn't always finesse us past the satirical plot absurdities ... but the whole is reasonably enjoyable, buoyed by another of Kingsley's scarily intense performances.
Like his deliciously original Last Seduction, director John Dahl returns to the wild side in You Kill Me, an odd and somewhat puzzling crime drama that throws the viewer for a loop thanks to its deadpan humour and absurdist narrative.
Domesticating the mobster within society has become almost a commonplace, thanks to The Sopranos, but Kingsley's tight-lipped gruffness gives a lift to the mordant ironies of the script.
You Kill Me has more natural laughs than any half-dozen recent crime comedies.
Dahl's strengths are rock-bottom irony, sleazy suspense and deadly surprises.
Despite the slight novelty of some of its performances, the movie never rises above anything more than the sum of its fractured parts.
After years of working with dreadful filmmakers such as Peter Hyams and Uwe Boll, it's easy to forget just how invaluable Kingsley is to the art of screen performance.
Latest News for You Kill Me
October 09, 2007:
RT on DVD: 28 Weeks Later, Reign Over Me, and Surf's Up!
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June 21, 2007:
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May 12, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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