Set amidst the eerie desolation of the Australian outback, Kiss or Kill is a superior reworking of vintage film noir materials from the veteran director Bill Bennett. Its lovers-on-the-run story focuses on Nicole (Frances O'Connor) and Al (Matt Day), a pair of petty thieves running a scam targeting married businessmen; when one of their victims accidentally dies, they flee his hotel room, absconding with his briefcase. The case contains a videotape of Zipper Doyle (Barry Langrishe), a national
soccer hero, molesting a young boy; Nicole and Al soon take off for Perth, intending to blackmail Doyle -- never suspecting that he, as well as the police, are already in hot pursuit. As the two make their way across the country, they leave a trail of dead bodies in their wake; both Nicole and Al begin to suspect that the other is a murderer, and as their journey continues, their paranoia only grows. A similar feeling of mistrust and dread informs virtually every interpersonal relationship in the film, effectively gnawing at our own perceptions and expectations; a stylistically aggressive picture, brimming with jump cuts and inventive camera work, its distinctive take on the noir tradition is fresh and exciting. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
If this scenario sounds like stock film-noir plotting, Bill Bennett ... makes something utterly fresh and, for all its scent of evil, invigorating out of it.
In some ways, it's a remarkable recovery for writer-director Bill Bennett, whose much-tampered-with Sandra Bullock vehicle Two If by Sea was almost unwatchable.
Clumsily acted and directed, and very irritating editing. The story was overwrought and cheesy in parts. There were some decent moments, but perhaps the budget prevented this movie from achieving what it might have otherwise.
January 13, 2012
Post Glock
Gee this was a good film. Great performances Frances O'Connor should have such a bigger career than she does. Really well directed and the use of music is fascinating, in the fact that the film has none. Amazingly it really adds to the atmosphere. Great scenery too, in places that aren't usually captured on film (I
believe outback SA).
I really need to watch it again.
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