Movie Type: Gangster Film, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)
Themes: One Last Heist, Witness Protection, Going Undercover
Main Cast: David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage, Helen Hunt, Kathryn Erbe
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A convict agrees to go undercover and gather evidence on a notorious crime lord in order to win an early release from prison in this tough, gritty crime drama. Much of the tension develops from the inner conflict of Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso), who feels torn between his desire to win freedom for the sake of his family and his belief in a code of honor that sees ratting on others as an unforgivable sin. His misgivings are compounded by fear when he learns that his target is to be the notorious Little Junior (Nicolas Cage), a violent eccentric with a hair-trigger temper. Luckily for the ex-con, Junior takes a shine to Jimmy, welcoming him into his inner circle. While this pleases the investigators, it means further trouble for Jimmy, who would undoubtedly be killed were his deception ever discovered. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
Updating the 1940s film noir of the same name, screenwriter Richard Price (Clockers, Sea of Love) and director Barbet Schroeder place the emphasis of Kiss of Death not on the plot mechanics but the story's moral and emotional complexity. Intelligent, suspenseful, and well acted, particularly by the frighteningly intense Nicholas Cage, Kiss of Death nevertheless failed to find an audience, perhaps due to its bleak, pessimistic tone and the lack of traditional action sequences, and it marked a quick beginning of the end for the budding movie career of former NYPD Blue star David Caruso. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Stanley Tucci - Frank Zioli; Jason Andrews - Johnny A.; Kevin Corrigan - Kid Selling Infinity; John Costelloe - Cleary; Tony Cucci - Junior's Crew #1; Angel David - J.J.; Hope Davis - Junior's Girlfriend; Frank di Leo - Big Junior's Friend; Tom Riis Farrell - EMS Supervisor; Philip Baker Hall - Big Junior Brown; Mark Hammer - Judge; Anthony Heald - Jack Gold, the Lawyer; Lloyd Hollar - Prison Chaplin; Joe Lisi - Agent at Bungalow; Shiek Mahmud-Bey - Federal Agent; James McCauley - Cop Outside Bar; Edward McDonald - US Attorney; Anne Meara - Bev's Mother; Bernadette Penotti - Molested Dancer; Joe Pentangelo - Riker's Security Officer; Michael Rapaport - Ronnie; Ving Rhames - Omar; Richard Price - City Clerk; Alex Stevens - Convoy Drunk; Henry Yuk - Chinese Restaurant Owner; Katie Sagona - Corinna (4 Years Old); Michael Artura - Emergency Room Cop
Credit
Chris Brigham - Associate Producer, Paula Herold - Casting, Richard Price - Co-producer, Theadora Van Runkle - Costume Designer, Jack Baran - First Assistant Director, Barbet Schroeder - Director, Lee Percy - Editor, Jack Baran - Executive Producer, Trevor Jones - Composer (Music Score), Trevor Jones - Songwriter, Allen Weisinger - Makeup, Mel Bourne - Production Designer, Luciano Tovoli - Cinematographer, Barbet Schroeder - Producer, Susan Hoffman - Producer, Roberta J. Holinko - Set Designer, Steve Kirshoff - Special Effects, Les Lazarowitz - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard Price - Screenwriter
