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 | witness protection | cocaine | undercover | tears | 

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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:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, nudity and strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Caruso left NYPD Blue (1993) in order to film this movie, and pursue a full-time film career.

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Goofs

When we first see the Red Explorer - before Little Junior gives it to Jimmy - it has no license plate on the front. But when Jimmy drives it home it DOES have a license plate in the front.

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Quotes

Calvin Hart: Don't you know you can't go around hitting the police? Huh? What's wrong with you?

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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 Fresh Off the Boat: Good Morning Orlando (2015)

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Soundtracks

Feeling Free
Written by L. Rodriguez and S. Craden
Performed by Liquid City
Courtesy of IRS Records

User Reviews

Not flashy, but believable. The old tale of a convict getting harassed after he serves his time.

America has the best justice money can buy- meaning gentry that pay for the privilege of justice receive it and normal citizens will see justice only by pure accident. Here is a normal citizen who served his time but continues to be harassed by police- a common tactic of pigs- since they are too stupid to be detectives- they make their informants do all the dirty work of investigation under penalty of return to prison on some lies and setups-ya know- who they gonna believe? Me or you? This is the framework this movie operates in- the reality that most cops and lawyers are total scum that need two neat in the back of the head, and justice is a fairy tale in America.

Add in a little action jackson moments to spice it up and we have a watchable movie that is reasonably OK- not stellar- but watchable to the finish and a decent job of acting by our lead. This is one of the few action flicks that actually tries to do some acting- our lead does a great job- his supporting actors do OK- but not great.

All in all- I would watch this movie for a matinée by myself. One of the humorous things in this movie is you see Nicholas Cage bulked up as a guido in a disco.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kiss of Death

Filming Locations:

118-11 84 Avenue, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York CIty, 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