Kiss Of Death MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 Content: -3

Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) is putting his life back together after doing time for grand auto theft. He's holding down a job, supporting wife Bev (Helen Hunt), a recovering alcoholic, and their baby daughter. Jimmy's long time partner in crime, Ronny, pleads for Jimmy's help in moving a shipment of stolen cars. Jimmy finally gives in when Ronnie tells him ruthless mobster Little Junior Brown (Nicholas Cage) is threatening him. The deal goes bad, and Jimmy is arrested for the shooting of a police detective. Heartbroken, Bev starts drinking again, which leads to her tragic death. Three years later Jimmy is released from jail and regains custody of his daughter. But the D.A. blackmails Jimmy into infiltrating Little Junior's operation. KISS OF DEATH is a remake of a 1947 film. The original was surely more entertaining than this lame attempt to capitalize on the success of PULP FICTION.

It's a shame that producers think that the only way to “modernize” an older story is to add incessant obscenities, graphic violence, and nudity. This film has over 100 obscenities. Junior beats a man to death and shoots another in the head. Mercifully, the audience is spared the bloody visage of the beaten man, but gets the full splattered blood and hole-in-the-head treatment with the shooting. The majority of the second half of the film takes place in a topless bar. Hopefully, the careers of the talented actors haven't received the kiss of death for their appearance in this B quality film.

Preview Reviewer: Pete Zimowski
Distributor: 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036