JasparLamarCrabb Barbet Schroeder has not had what anyone would call a very fruitful American period. In between the Wilderesque black comedy masterwork REVERSAL OF FORTUNE and the pedestrian MURDER BY NUMBERS came this in-name-only remake of Henry Hathaway's 1947 classic. David Caruso, possessing none of the presence or gravitas it takes to carry a film, stars as a con trying to go straight but is tripped up by his involvement with degenerate gangster Nicolas Cage (as Little Junior Brown -- that name being one of the few clever things in the film). Schroeder directs the film at a brisk clip but it's all for naught; the material is just nothing special. Appearances by Helen Hunt, Stanley Tucci (as a self-serving prosecutor), Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Rappaport add very little.

ctomvelu1 This loosely-based remake of a 1947 film noir seems to have few followers, even after 17 years. It made no money in theaters and very few people have commented on it here. TV actor David Caruso plays Jimmy, a small-time criminal who gets sent back to the slammer after taking part in a bungled heist. Worse, his wife is killed in a car accident while he's doing time and his young daughter is sent to live with his hostile mother in law. When he gets out, the state and feds just won't leave him alone. They want him to help them nab Junior, played by a pumped-up, almost unrecognizable Nic Cage. Turns out Junior was the mastermind behind the fumbled heist and numerous other crimes. So Caruso's character goes undercover. The film is violent and foul-mouthed, a far cay from the Victor Mature-Richard-Widmark original. The story has been "opened up," as the 1947 version was largely a soundstage production. It's hard to compare the two, so many changes have been made and liberties taken with the 1995 remake. I watched the two films back to back the other night. Both have their merits. Caruso's Jimmy is a lot more spunky than Mature's hero, and Cage's over the top villain is worlds apart from Widmark's sneering, oily bad guy. Cage portrays Junior (called Tommy Udo in the 1947 version) as an over-sized psychopath with some very odd ticks and habits, and he is truly demented and scary. By comparison, Widmark's Udo is almost comical, a Damon Runyonesque gangster who would fit right in in a production of "Guys and Dolls." Plus the remake boasts a stellar supporting cast, including Helen Hunt as Jimmy's ill-fated wife, Stanley Tucci as a two-faced prosecutor, Michael Rappaport as Jimmy's larcenous cousin, Kathryn "Criminal Intent" Erbe as Jimmy's loyal friend and Sam Jackson as a detective who has a bone to pick with Jimmy. See both films. It couldn't hurt.

lastliberal Everyone is always dissing David Caruso. I think he is alright and he really does a good job in this film. He just wants his life back and wants to take care of his family.He went to jail and lost his wife (Helen Hunt). He made a deal with the D.A. (Stanley Tucci) and got revenge on the man responsible (Michael Rapaport). But the D.A. is not satisfied. he wants Little Junior (Nicolas Cage). Cage plays one bad mother who kills a federal agent (Ving Rhames) in front of Caruso. That's not enough as the feds get put on the ropes by the mob lawyer (Anthony Heald) and the D.A. makes a deal and drops the case. With the help of a cop (Samuel L. Jackson), he closes the deal and goes off with his new wife (Kathryn Erbe).That's the story in a nutshell, but it doesn't do justice to what happens. I have seldom seen a neonoir drama with such a list of stars, not to mention eye-candy like Bernadette Penotti.Worth a watch on Sunday afternoon.

The_Void You want to know the best joke I've heard lately? The Kiss of Death remake. Despite having great source material to work from (that being Henry Hathaway's 1947 original), Barbet Schroeder's film might as well have been a comedy, as the level of incompetence on display really is mind blowing. The film features a whole range of well known stars, and almost every single one of them is heinously miscast. Nicholas Cage delivers the silliest role of his career as the babyish gangster 'Little Junior'. Cage's character is this film's answer to Richard Widmark's Tommy Udo, but unlike Widmark; Cage just can't do the extreme psychotic, and succeeds only in making a fool of himself. Samuel L. Jackson isn't given room to breathe, while Helen Hunt, Michael Rapaport and Ving Rhames are entirely wasted. Perhaps the biggest casting mistake was giving David Caruso the lead role. It's hard not to laugh while he's trying to look hard, and the ginger actor looks completely ridiculous throughout. The only actor in the entire film that has been well cast is Anthony Heald (Silence of the Lambs' Dr Chilton), who has a very small role as a lawyer. Kiss of the Death is one of the clearest examples of casting with the poster in mind that I've ever seen.The plot follows an unlucky guy who gets arrested after taking 'one last job' as a favour to his friend. While on the inside, he is asked to rat out his accomplices, and but won't. However, he changes his mind when it comes to the end of his sentence (oh yes). What made the original great was that the story was tight, and by concentrating on just a handful of characters; the audience was able to care for their plight. This movie doesn't benefit from that, as the film needs a whole load of characters so that a load of big names can star, and it harms the film as the whole thing is far too convoluted. Not much thought has gone into any scene in this film either, and certain plot threads seem to come out of nowhere; the lead character's relationship with the babysitter being a good example of an idea that the film simply throws at you. You really need to stretch your imagination with this movie, as several things don't make sense; and the fact that all in all, this film is bad ensures that stretching the imagination isn't easy. The ending is similar to that of the original, but here we don't get the impression that it's come about as a result of the characters; and Samuel L. Jackson's last moment on screen throws mud in the eye of the dark tone that a story like this should have. All I can say is that Kiss of Death is actually an apt name for this film, as Barbet Schroeder and co have embraced a good idea and killed it.