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Kill Me Again -
I paid my respects to the late Val Kilmer by watching this movie and I think I made a great choice. It's a dusty, sun-bleached and bloody "Nevada Noir" like only John Dahl could make. This is especially because Val's P.I. and widower, Jack Andrews, is as much of a portrait of desperation as his other "heroes." From the chipped window on his office door to loan sharks always stalking him, he's believable as a man who would accept any kind of job. The secret sauce of this movie, though, is Whalley-Kilmer's femme fatale and ex-Bonnie to Michael Madsen's Clyde, who is totally convincing as a master manipulator of the less fair gender. Is Jack above accepting Fay's request to fake her death so she can start over with a new identity? Obviously not. Does it all go according to plan? Same answer. Again, this is Nevada Noir in every sense of the word. Dahl and company not only feature all the locales you hope to see in one such as casinos, taverns and motels, but they also ramp up their squalidity. On top of that, the desert highways are as empty as can be. Joining Kilmer, Whalley-Kilmer, and Madsen - who is terrifying, by the way - is The White Lotus's Jonathan Gries, who excels at being just as willing to do anything for a buck as Jack's buddy and go-to guy. Oh, and if at any point - even during the minutes preceding the grand finale, you think you can predict how this affair will end, you've got another thing coming.
The Nevada Noir world has two kinds of men: the swindlers and the swindled. In Fay Forrester, you see how the women in this world have to be twice as tough and devious to not only join the ranks of the swindlers, but also to simply get by. Despite its conclusion, does this movie bring anything new to its genre, Nevada or otherwise? Not really. Regardless, the high quality found in its every aspect and that it's so much fun makes this a moot point. Also, like Dahl's other movies like this one, it is refreshingly sincere. In short, if you are also exploring the hidden gems in Val Kilmer's body of work, this is as good a place as any to start.
I paid my respects to the late Val Kilmer by watching this movie and I think I made a great choice. It's a dusty, sun-bleached and bloody "Nevada Noir" like only John Dahl could make. This is especially because Val's P.I. and widower, Jack Andrews, is as much of a portrait of desperation as his other "heroes." From the chipped window on his office door to loan sharks always stalking him, he's believable as a man who would accept any kind of job. The secret sauce of this movie, though, is Whalley-Kilmer's femme fatale and ex-Bonnie to Michael Madsen's Clyde, who is totally convincing as a master manipulator of the less fair gender. Is Jack above accepting Fay's request to fake her death so she can start over with a new identity? Obviously not. Does it all go according to plan? Same answer. Again, this is Nevada Noir in every sense of the word. Dahl and company not only feature all the locales you hope to see in one such as casinos, taverns and motels, but they also ramp up their squalidity. On top of that, the desert highways are as empty as can be. Joining Kilmer, Whalley-Kilmer, and Madsen - who is terrifying, by the way - is The White Lotus's Jonathan Gries, who excels at being just as willing to do anything for a buck as Jack's buddy and go-to guy. Oh, and if at any point - even during the minutes preceding the grand finale, you think you can predict how this affair will end, you've got another thing coming.
The Nevada Noir world has two kinds of men: the swindlers and the swindled. In Fay Forrester, you see how the women in this world have to be twice as tough and devious to not only join the ranks of the swindlers, but also to simply get by. Despite its conclusion, does this movie bring anything new to its genre, Nevada or otherwise? Not really. Regardless, the high quality found in its every aspect and that it's so much fun makes this a moot point. Also, like Dahl's other movies like this one, it is refreshingly sincere. In short, if you are also exploring the hidden gems in Val Kilmer's body of work, this is as good a place as any to start.