You Kill Me (2007)

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Markus (written by) &
Stephen McFeely (written by)

Release Date:

6 July 2007 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A killer comedy by John Dahl

Plot:

While drying out on the West Coast, an alcoholic hit man befriends a tart-tongued woman who might just come in handy when it's time for him to return to Buffalo and settle some old scores.

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholic | Buffalo New York | Mortuary | Sales Executive | Airbag

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Frank Falenczyk
Téa Leoni	...	Laurel Pearson
Luke Wilson	...	Tom
Dennis Farina	...	Edward O'Leary
Philip Baker Hall	...	Roman Krzeminski
Bill Pullman	...	Dave
Marcus Thomas	...	Stef Krzeminski
Scott Heindl	...	James Doyle
Alison Sealy-Smith	...	Doris Rainford (as Allison Sealy-Smith)
Aron Tager	...	Walter Fitzgerald
Jayne Eastwood	...	Kathleen Fitzgerald
Al Corley	...	Man in Park
Erik Fjeldsted	...	Kevin
Aaron Hughes	...	Stanley
Devin McCracken	...	Henry
Micheline Marchildon	...	Emily
Katie Messina	...	Becky
Lorraine James	...	Brenda
Omar Khan	...	Juan
Joanne Rodriguez	...	Janet
Will Woytowich	...	Nate
David Gillies	...	Earl
Susan Kelso	...	Laurel's Mother
Darren Wall	...	Driver
Lora Schroeder	...	Guard
Ruth De Graves	...	Rosemary
Tracy McMahon	...	Sales Clerk
Sandy Jobin-Bevans	...	Supervisor Davis
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cory Cassidy	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Brian Kawakami	...	San Francisco AA Member (uncredited)
Sean O'Brian	...	Real Estate Agent (uncredited)
Warren Louis Wiltshire	...	AA Member (uncredited)

Directed by
John Dahl

Writing credits (WGA)
Christopher Markus		(written by) &
Stephen McFeely		(written by)

Produced by
Allison Adams	....	associate producer: SBK Pictures
Carol Baum	....	producer
Al Corley	....	producer
Jonathan Dana	....	executive producer
Juliette Hagopian	....	line producer
Téa Leoni	....	executive producer
Mike Marcus	....	producer
Raymond Massey	....	line producer: San Francisco
Eugene Musso	....	producer
Kim Olsen	....	co-producer
Bart Rosenblatt	....	producer
Howard Rosenman	....	producer (as Zvi Howard Rosenman)

Original Music by
Marcelo Zarvos

Cinematography by
Jeff Jur		(director of photography) (as Jeffrey Jur)

Film Editing by
Scott Chestnut

Casting by
Carol Lewis

Production Design by
John Dondertman

Art Direction by
Réjean Labrie

Set Decoration by
Maryam Decter
Bruce Mailing

Costume Design by
Linda Madden

Makeup Department
Pamela M. Athayde	....	key makeup artist (as Pamela Athayde)
Pamela M. Athayde	....	makeup artist: Ben Kingsley (as Pamela Athayde)
Shelly Bargenda	....	assistant hair stylist
Lori Caputi	....	key hair stylist
Heather Gunderman	....	key hair stylist: San Francisco
Cheryl Ann Nick	....	makeup artist: Téa Leoni (as Cheryl Nick)
Gwen Trutnau	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Imad Ftouni	....	assistant unit manager
Bart Rosenblatt	....	production manager
Daniel Voltz	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ronaldo Nacionales	....	first assistant director
Martin Pedersen	....	second assistant director
Markian Saray	....	third assistant director
Sean Vawter	....	first assistant director
Richard Worden	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Olaf Dux	....	construction coordinator
Greg Gardner	....	graphic artist
Jason Gibbs	....	property master
Kim Hamin	....	on-set dresser
Donna Jenkyns	....	draper
Mike Johnson	....	head carpenter
Matthew Karam	....	art director: second unit
Chris Roznowsky	....	assistant property master
Katharina Stieffenhofer	....	art department coordinator
Lawrence Van Went	....	key scenic artist

Sound Department
James Barth	....	adr recordist
Josee Bernard	....	boom operator
Miriam Cole	....	adr coordinator
Brian Copenhagen	....	boom operator: San Francisco
Devin Johnson	....	first assistant editor
Jon Johnson	....	supervising sound editor
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Val Kuklowsky	....	supervising adr editor
Sam C. Lewis	....	adr recordist
Louis Marion	....	sound mixer
Michael McDonald	....	sound recordist
Paul Morrow	....	boom operator
Terry O'Bright	....	sound re-recording mixer
G.W. Pope III	....	foley artist
Miguel Rivera	....	dialogue editor
Steve Schatz	....	sound mixing recordist
Brad Sokol	....	sound editor
Bruce Stubblefield	....	dialogue editor
Alex Ullrich	....	foley editor

Special Effects by
Jimi Campbell	....	special effects assistant
Mark Gebel	....	special effects supervisor
Laird McMurray	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Kenneth Armstrong	....	digital artist
Ben Campanaro	....	digital compositor: Mechnology
Chris Ervin	....	digital effects artist
Chris Ervin	....	visual effects supervisor
Diana Luu	....	digital artist
Elizabeth Marriner	....	digital artist
Lanmana Parys	....	visual effects producer
Jeff Rubin	....	visual effects animator

Stunts
Sterling Johnson	....	stunt double: Roman
Chuck Robinson	....	stunt coordinator
Craig Skene	....	stunt double: Walter
Jan Skene	....	stunts
Rick Skene	....	stunt coordinator
Sean Skene	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Lorne Bailey	....	best boy
John Durica	....	electric
Richard Falk Jr.	....	electrician (as Richard Falk)
Christopher M. Gower	....	key rigging electric (as Chris Gower)
Shane Head	....	generator operator
Joao Holowka	....	gaffer
Brad Hruboska	....	Steadicam operator
Brad Hruboska	....	camera operator
Jeff Jur	....	camera operator
Michael Kelly	....	gaffer: additional photography
Michael Kelly	....	grip
Doug Kiddell	....	lead electric
Jim McNulty	....	generator operator
Reil Munro	....	grip
Mark O'Neill	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Ted Overton	....	focus puller: "a" camera
Tai Pu	....	best boy electric
Rebecca Sandulak	....	still photographer
Julian Saray	....	best boy grip
Krista Stumph	....	camera loader
Robert Thomson	....	key grip
Shauna Townley	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Scott Trembley	....	lead electric
Jason Tuesday	....	grip
Mark Woodgate	....	dolly grip
Terry Wowchuk	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Jim Heber	....	casting: Canada
Patricia Kress	....	extras casting assistant
Joey Ritche	....	casting assistant: Canada
Lori Stefaniuk	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lauren D. Martin	....	set costumer
Annie Rothschild	....	costumer
Angela Wells	....	truck costumer

Editorial Department
Jon Berry	....	digital intermediate editor
Andre Champagne	....	additional editorial assistant
C. Robert Dimitri	....	post-production assistant
Travis Dutch	....	digital cinema mastering
Kyle Dean Jackson	....	digital intermediate producer
Sherwood Jones	....	assistant editor
Alan Pao	....	digital intermediate producer
Sebastian Perez-Burchard	....	digital intermediate editor
Narbeh Tatoussian	....	digital intermediate colorist
Rex M. Teese	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Natalie Baartz	....	music supervisor
John Bissell	....	music supervisor
Johnny Caruso	....	music editor
Robert Miles Kane	....	music assistant
Daniel Levy	....	score preparation
Lawrence Manchester	....	score mixer
Lawrence Manchester	....	score recordist

Transportation Department
Julia Diana Cereceda	....	unit driver
Bundy Chanock	....	transportation coordinator
Brian 'Shaky' Johnson	....	transportation coordinator
Dave Perich	....	driver: cast

Other crew
Neal Baksh	....	assistant location manager
Dave Brown	....	firearms safety coordinator
Matthew Cardarople	....	assistant: Luke Wilson
Bryn Garrison	....	location manager
Tim Haughian	....	location manager
Steve Hearn	....	assistant location manager
Ross Ikeda	....	key production accountant
Karen Jo Irvin	....	executive assistant to producers
Shaun Johnson	....	assistant production coordinator
David Lapp	....	first assistant accountant
Scott Layton	....	production coordinator
Chris Martin	....	script supervisor
Tanya Mazur	....	script supervisor
Allan McGowan	....	security officer
Peter Moody	....	location manager
Barb Myrvold	....	accounting clerk
Laura Neufeld	....	production coordinator
David Porter	....	sous chef
Leslie Stafford	....	publicist
Michelle Walker	....	key craft service
Ryan Wuckert	....	location scout

Production Companies

• Bipolar Pictures
• Carol Baum Productions
• Code Entertainment
• Dillinger Productions
• Echo Lake Productions (I)
• Green Tulip Productions
• Independent Film Group

Distributors

• All Interactive Distribution (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Koch Media (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Odeon Films (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Revolver Entertainment (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• HBO Hungary (2008) (Hungary) (TV)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Laptv (2009) (Argentina) (TV)
• Luxor Entertainment (2007) (Russia) (all media)
• Pinema (2007) (Turkey) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• VelocityApe FX (visual effects)
• Mechnology (digital effects)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Tunnel Post  digital intermediate and titles

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Manitoba Production Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Bipolar Pictures

Trivia:

Shot in 26 days.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Frank and Laurel are sitting in the mall (food court), addressing envelopes to the next of kin he killed 'wrong' , we see a store sign in the background, Telus. A telecommunications company based in Canada, which does NOT serve the US, let alone San Francisco.

Quotes:

Dave: Remind me to be nice to you... Cock.

Movie Connections:

Features The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Soundtrack:

Lonesome Town

I may have to brake his toes…You Kill Me

From the screenwriters of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes the R-rated black comedy You Kill Me. It's an odd pairing, but at least you can say these guys have range. To helm this film, about a hit-man whose drinking problem has caused sloppiness and perhaps the demise of his Polish gang in Buffalo, we have John Dahl. I am a huge fan of Rounders, so I was hoping for some of the same here, with a dramatic arc that worked and made sense intelligently, but also bringing the laughs that the trailer promised. Thankfully this film doesn't disappoint. Yes, there are some moments of disbelief, but the dry, straight-laced delivery of everything else makes up for the leaps in logic that would otherwise eat at me for the duration. While not laugh-out-loud funny, Dahl has put together a nice slow burning comedy that allows its characters to live and breathe realistically and evolve in a somewhat believable manner.

Our aforementioned hit-man is played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley. I remember when I used to look at him as just Ghandi, but after the diverse catalog of films he has done recently, I've realized that he isn't afraid to branch out into darker fare. His role here has a lot going for it in comedic terms—he is an alcoholic, a loner that kills for money, and a resident of the arctic pole of Buffalo. Put all that together and you can think of a few funny situations for him to get into. To the filmmakers' credit, though, we never really get any of that except for the opening "job." When Kingsley's Frank sleeps through the one big job he is relied on to do, everything falls apart. What happens next is his journey to sobriety and friendship/love to pull him through to an understanding about what he really is living for. What worked for a film like The Matador couldn't be as effective here. Frank isn't having a nervous breakdown or losing his cool, he is off the job seeking help so that he can go back on the payroll. We don't need him to drunkenly wave a loaded gun at people, the comedy instead comes from his fish-out-of-water situation, being a cold-hearted killer trying to warm up to recovering alcoholics and a community he is not used to being sober around.

Kingsley definitely plays the role to perfection, never faltering from his matter-of-fact tone or takes no crap attitude. Everything out of his mouth is carefully orchestrated and he is not one to waste his own or others' time. This fact makes some scenes hilarious because of the reactions from those he is speaking to. When he speaks from the heart and seriously, while sprinkling in his own experiences murdering people, during AA meetings, the utter silence and occasional Amen from the audience is gold. Besides his unfaltering demeanor and his sardonic sarcasm, it is when he plays off of love interest Téa Leoni when some of the best laughs occur. These two have a wonderful rapport and when they go at each other rapid fire, with one quip/comeback after another, you'd think it was all ad-libbed—the timing is that good. Leoni has been surprising me lately with her career. I don't know why I used to think she was annoying, but recently having seen films like House of D and her early work in Flirting With Disaster, I realize that she is good at both the dramatic and the comedic.

The who's who of supporting players also does a nice job anchoring the story. Luke Wilson seems to really just be playing himself, but the laidback friend is what is needed for the role. Philip Baker Hall and Dennis Farina show how it's done as two rival mob bosses in Buffalo, (yes, I said mob bosses in Buffalo, I'm constantly scared for my life when walking around downtown at night). Their storyline is handled well and counteracts the subtle humor going on at rehab in San Francisco with some tense moments trying to keep the Polish afloat at the hands of the ever increasing Irish crew. Mention is also needed for Bill Pullman who has been making some good choices of late in small supporting roles. His self-absorbed real estate agent is entertaining because his ego won't let him be intimidated by the killer he is conversing with.

The laughs may not come over and over again, but when they do it's smartly and appropriately. The fact that everyone in San Fran who hears Kingsley is a hit-man just accept it like someone saying they washed their clothes that morning is a bit rough to get by, but really it doesn't matter in terms of plot progression. The writers also try to distill the problem with Frank saying how it's Alcoholics "Anonymous," which brings a smile to your face for nothing more than the corniness of the line. I also don't know how perfect placing the movie in Buffalo was. It seems the writers needed a cold, drinking town up north and our wonderful home of Buffalo was the first to come to their heads. When was the last time you heard about the Irish and Polish mob going to war while the Greeks stood back to see who came out on top? Yeah, that's right, never. I did like the touch of hometown words by naming an Irish bar Scajaqueda. Just proves again these guys had no clue what they were doing with location. Overall, though, the film works despite any of its shortcomings.