videorama-759-859391
John Dahl's first feature here, and I'm not surprised, it's a John Dahl film, as he's made a few other road movies. KMA is an impressive debut, a shake of things to come from this director, who's very much interested me, making films I like. The movie has has strong performances by the three leads, though Kilmer is doing it in a laid back kind of style. He's a private investigator who makes a lot of enemies here, his real only friend being Jonathan Gries, (a better looking Steven Wright kind of guy) where the two actors worked together before on Real Genius. A hot number (Whalley) who truly exudes sex in this film (check out one scene at the motel desk with the young clerk, when one of her dress straps comes off her shoulder, purposely I think. She has just gotten away from her psychopath boyfriend (Michael Madsen, a few years pre ear cutting days would you believe) where she's taken off with this cash from this mob guy. She brazenly asks Kilmer to fake her death, and it's fun watching him do it. She of course offers him few bundles, and again takes off, where he begins chasing her down, obsessively. Is it because she looks so much like his late wife? Did she really die, and is the woman? That's the picture this film does paint. Kilmer is such a softc..k here, wanting to trust her. His character Has she appeared as many flaws and Kilmer has a good grip on his character, to communicate that to it, playing the character straight down the line. As a thriller, we know the whole game, Whalley's intentions, whatever. It's only a twist at the end, regarding Madsen's character that thrills, prior to an explosive and "poor bastard" conclusion, for some you might say. Nonetheless, the film's very entertaining, and those beautiful lake shots of Safe Harbour, near Kilmer's cabin, is an added attraction. Of course Whalley, this Dahl film's vixen, does steal the show, but I do love Val Kilmer. Pity he lost the battle of the bulge many years later. later. End song kind of sours everything that went before. Dismal. Made in 1989, not released on video until 1992 in Australia.
Scott LeBrun
Co-writer and director John Dahl updates the film noir genre for the late 1980s with this entertaining, if fairly standard plot wise, bit of crime fiction. He would also show with subsequent efforts such as "Red Rock West" and "Joy Ride" his ability to capture on film the beauty and desolation of various rural locations. The movie is certainly well cast: Val Kilmer plays Jack Andrews, a Reno private eye who's *really* fallen on hard times. He owes the mob a fair chunk of change, and what at first appears to be his salvation arrives in the form of super sexy Fay Forrester (Joanne Whalley, married to Kilmer at the time), who we already know is a bad, bad girl having seen her double cross her partner in crime, Vince Miller (Michael Madsen, in full blown psycho / thug mode). Fay's idea is that to avoid Vince, she'll hire Jack to fake her death. As one can imagine, things go more and more wrong for Jack, a definite patsy who is drawn to this femme fatale even when all common sense is telling him to stay away. There are no real surprises here, but then Dahl isn't actually out to reinvent the wheel, just put a modern - sometimes comic - spin on a classic and well regarded genre, with archetypal roles, a serious tone, and occasional bursts of violence. The movie is good fun for any fan of film noir, sort of taking its time at first but picking up in intensity as it goes along. Good supporting performances by Jon Gries, as Jack's loyal friend, Michael Greene, as a surly police detective, and Bibi Besch (too briefly seen), as Jack's secretary, are all assets, but the biggest thrill comes from watching the sultry Whalley sizzle and scam her way through the story. As femme fatales go, she's a very watchable one. The movie's not particularly memorable, but is still fine viewing while it lasts. Seven out of 10.
elshikh4
Actually I sat to watch an indie kind of movie because I respect that kind as the effective reaction to the extreme big movies of Hollywood or as the true reaction against its pure crap sometimes ! But unfortunately the result was something as pure as the same old crap ! OH MY GOD !.. It's the seventh hundred undeclared remake of the Film-Noir classic (Double Indemnity - 1944) !! So why ? Just why ?! I would give you a list of more and more movies before and after which made the same sin and remade that immortal movie. And the thing is not the idea of the remake itself (despite the numerous number !) inasmuch as its QUAITY.. THE QUAITY YOU PEOPLE ! I began to think that every single movie has the name of (Val Kilmer) on it must mean a total disaster ! Or maybe I'll be aware more when they present a character of unbelievable femme fatale played by unbearable fatal actress ! Alhough (Joanne Whalley) made good performance but she is not that hot at all, so I was shouting all along (Vaaal ! Forget about her.. You deserve better !) and I hoped all the time to be in his shoes because by that way it would be no movie at all as I'll never be seduced by THAT girl ! So regarding that I sat to watch just to see at least a small good movie you'd guess my feelings after the destroying of that desire when I discovered the matter of the Double Indemnity ! But I followed it anyway to watch the efficacy of that new "double" ! Though I've witnessed the destroying of that desire too ! Because in despite of some very strong music and creative cinematography they treated the story so tritely to make it highly predictable with nothing to entertain. It didn't achieve a grade but being customary, and didn't make anything smarter than the 699 other remakes that we've watched before ! So for one who grew up watching too many American movies & TV shows with too many twists, it was so damn easy to find out early about the couple of surprises at the end because simply I've learned from the best, but obviously the makers of this...didn't !
inframan
What a sexy woman Joanne Whalley is. I can see why Kilmer grabbed her & married her. In this she's the antecedent of the Linda Fiorentino character in Last Seduction, another wondrously sexy wench. John Dahl has a unique & powerful knack for choosing strong actresses & bringing out the universal vixen in them.The plot's nothing terribly original but it plays its familiar theme with some nice changes & variations. It has that classic quality that the best "noir" films had: it moves right along & keeps you in the center of the action.One thing I find curious is that no one (to my knowledge) has ever linked the Michael Madsen throat-cutting scene in this film with the Michael Madsen ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs. Give credit where it's due!
AD
