Kiss of Death (1995)

A reformed convict goes undercover with the help of an angry detective to ensnare a psychotic mobster.

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writers:

Eleazar Lipsky (story), Ben Hecht

Stars:

David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Caruso	...	Jimmy Kilmartin
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Calvin Hart
Nicolas Cage	...	Little Junior Brown
Helen Hunt	...	Bev Kilmartin
Kathryn Erbe	...	Rosie Kilmartin
Stanley Tucci	...	Frank Zioli
Michael Rapaport	...	Ronnie Gannon
Ving Rhames	...	Omar
Philip Baker Hall	...	Big Junior Brown
Anthony Heald	...	Jack Gold
Angel David	...	J.J.
John Costelloe	...	Cleary
Lindsay J. Wrinn	...	Corinna as a Toddler
Megan L. Wrinn	...	Corinna as a Toddler
Katie Sagona	...	Corinna, 4 Years Old

Storyline

Jimmy Kilmartin's an ex-con who's trying to go straight. But he can't say no to a quick driving job because his so called friend's life is threatened. The job is for Little Junior Brown, a violent and powerful villain. When things go wrong, Jimmy is left to do the time, and his whole life is turned upside-down, but if that wasn't enough, the cops won't leave Jimmy alone when he gets out... They want 'Little Junior'

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | detective | arrest | death of wife | widower | 

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Taglines:

Little Junior Brown. He rules the streets. He owns the game. But he doesn't own all of the players.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, nudity and strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kiss of Death

Filming Locations:

118-11 84 Ave Kew Gardens, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,317,066, 23 April 1995

Gross USA:

$14,942,422

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,942,422

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two remakes of films that feature Richard Widmark, Kiss of Death (1947) remade under the same title in 1995. The other being Night and the City (1950), remade under the same title in 1992. Richard Price wrote the screenplay for both remakes.

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Goofs

The Rolls-Royce being torched at the salvage yard has a perimeter frame; genuine Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows are unibody vehicles.

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Quotes

Calvin Hart: [about Omar] Cars, Drugs, Guns, he's buying whatever he can get his hands on.

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Alternate Versions

The FX cable TV version that aired in the late '90s/early 2000s did the usual violence and language edits and most notably during the strip club scenes adds black blurs (ex: when Nicolas Cage is talking to a few people, the topless dancer has a digitally added black dress so that the scene is safe to air).

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Connections

Referenced in Captain Marvel (2019)

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Soundtracks

Acperiance
Written by Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker
Performed by Hardfloor
Courtesy of American Recordings/Eye Q Records
by arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Deserves Better Than 5.8 IMDb Average Vote

I liked this movie and I am quite surprised by the low IMDb user voting for this film. It is certainly not Academy Award material. But the story, character development, and the acting performances are really above average. I am not a big fan of television dramas. I have never seen a single episode of CSI. I thought NYPD Blue was very overrated, except for Dennis Franz. However, I think that David Caruso is a much better movie actor than he gets credit for. This one is definitely worth seeing. It is not a stupid high-action movie like Armageddon. However, it does have some very intense and well staged scenes that will keep action movie fans happy.