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      Kiss of Death

      R Released Apr 21, 1995 1 hr. 41 min. Crime Drama List
      69% 42 Reviews Tomatometer 38% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score After his time in prison, Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) keeps his head down and provides for his wife and kids, until his cousin Ronnie (Michael Rapaport) ropes him into a large-scale car heist that goes bad. After several more years in the pen, a district attorney (Stanley Tucci) offers Jimmy a deal that will spring him if he agrees to go undercover and help nail murderous crime lord Little Junior Brown (Nicolas Cage). But Little Junior won't go down without a fight. Read More Read Less
      Kiss of Death

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      Critics Consensus

      An outstanding ensemble cast propels Kiss of Death, a noir-ish crime thriller that's slick and big on atmosphere, even if its script may only provide sporadic bursts of tension.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Michael V Kiss of Death is a 1995 American crime thriller film directed and produced by Barbet Schroeder 🍿 It's ok, but I feel mixed about this one 😉 I'd recommend it if you like this genre, but if not then probably give it a miss 👍🏼👎🏼 S Jimmy Kilmartin is an ex-con trying to stay clean and raise a family. When his cousin Ronnie causes him to take a fall for driving an illegal transport of stolen cars, Detective Calvin Hart is injured and Jimmy lands back in prison. In exchange for an early release, he is asked to help bring down a local crime boss named 'Little Junior' Brown. However, he's also sent undercover by Detective Hart to work with Little Junior and infiltrate his operations. As soon as Little Junior kills an undercover Federal agent with Jimmy watching, the unscrupulous DA and the Feds further complicate his life. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/24 Full Review Steve D Caruso isn't good enough to make it work. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member How I never came across this little gem with an all star cast before now is beyond me and can only assume I missed this by just a few years. This film felt pure 90s and reminded me of the predictable plots and cliche over acting that punctuated many of the action thrillers from that era. Where this film stood out though is with the cast, which was one of the best you'll see from that decade featuring names like Helen Hunt, Tucci, Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson, Rappaport, Rhames, Kathryn Erbe, Kevin Corrigan, Philip Baker Hall, and Anne Meara. The MVP however goes hands down to Nicolas Cage who gave an even more unhinged performance than we are normally treated to, taking on the role of Little Junior Brown. Cage was either decked out in an all white tracksuit or white jeans with white tank top, and conducted his business out of a strip club called "Baby Cakes", exhibiting an explosive temperament that appeared to fluctuate by the second, all while serving up banger line after banger line of dialogue. This wasn't a great movie but was still a lot fun if you go in knowing what to expect. The rating would likely be even lower if it was watched with 100% seriousness. 5.5/10 Samuel L. Jackson Binge: It isn't often Jackson will play the most grounded and morally admirable role in a film but with a cast starring David Caruso, Stanley Tucci, and Nic Cage among others, he actually came off as the most quietly reserved here. No one comes to watch Samuel L. Jackson play the straight man though so this role likely won't be too memorable aside from the scene in which he is introduced. *SLJ January #3 Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member No Richard Widmark pushing the old lady down the stairs, WHAT! Having a all star cast it is no all star movie. Blah blah... Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member not too much to say about this one Cage is the big standout here acting his Cagiest only minor instances of intense thrills the story is a very common one about someone going undercover to bring down a crime boss it just comes in and does its job and that's it Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review uncle p Story/Screenplay: (2.5/5) A crime drama that started strong, but deteriorated badly towards the end. Really silly use of guns by good and bad guys had me rolling my eyes. Just silly. Duration/Tempo: (2.5/5) At 1 hour and 41 minutes, it's a shorter than average movie that felt long. Cast & Crew: (3/5) Nicolas Cage was interesting in a role delivery that I haven't seen from him before. Samuel L. Jackson was good. David Caruso was not. Summary: (2.5/5) The story and cast were just OK and the film felt long. A thumbs down. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Kiss of Death

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      Critics Reviews

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      Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Both versions qualify as high-toned hackwork fitfully redeemed by a good story and some incidental pleasures involving the casting and camera work. Rated: 2/4 Jun 7, 2022 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: A Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Richard Schickel TIME Magazine What's most effective about the new Kiss of Death is Tucci's marvelously slimy prosecutor. Sep 19, 2008 Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn David Caruso did a solid job leading this film and going up against an unhinged Nic Cage. I definitely don't think Caruso deserved a "Razzie" nomination for this performance. Rated: 3/5 Apr 8, 2024 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn I greatly enjoyed this crime thriller despite some heavy elements and moments. Nic Cage is insane per usual but the rest of the cast did a solid job as well. Rated: 4/5 Apr 8, 2024 Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot Most effective are the authentic New York settings. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 14, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis After his time in prison, Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) keeps his head down and provides for his wife and kids, until his cousin Ronnie (Michael Rapaport) ropes him into a large-scale car heist that goes bad. After several more years in the pen, a district attorney (Stanley Tucci) offers Jimmy a deal that will spring him if he agrees to go undercover and help nail murderous crime lord Little Junior Brown (Nicolas Cage). But Little Junior won't go down without a fight.
      Director
      Barbet Schroeder
      Executive Producer
      Jack Baran
      Screenwriter
      Eleazar Lipsky, Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, Richard Price
      Distributor
      20th Century Fox
      Production Co
      20th Century Fox
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 21, 1995, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 30, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $14.7M
      Sound Mix
      Surround, Stereo