You Kill Me (2007)

While drying out on the West Coast, an alcoholic hitman 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.

Director:

John Dahl

Writers:

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni, Luke Wilson

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Frank Falenczyk loves his job. He just happens to be the hitman for his Polish mob family in Buffalo, New York. But Frank's got a drinking problem and when he messes up a critical assignment that puts the family business in peril, his uncle sends him to San Francisco to clean up his act. Frank is not a touchy-feely kind of guy, but he starts going to AA meetings, gets a sponsor and a job at a mortuary where he falls for the tart-tongued Laurel, a woman who is dangerously devoid of boundaries. Meanwhile, things aren't going well in Buffalo where an upstart Irish gang is threatening the family business. When violence erupts, Frank is forced to return home and with an unlikely assist from Laurel, faces old rivals on new terms.

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Plot Keywords:

crying woman | violence | buffalo new york | mortuary | alcoholic | 

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Taglines:

A killer comedy by John Dahl

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tú me matas

Filming Locations:

Manitoba Production Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$233,709, 24 June 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,426,851, 19 August 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bipolar Pictures,Carol Baum Productions,Code Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie mixes real San Francisco locations, such as Alamo Square Park and Golden Gate Bridge (where Luke Wilson works at the toll booth) with fakes such as a non-existent Saint Margaret's Church on Geary and 28th Avenue (actually in Winnipeg, Manitoba).

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Goofs

The Amtrak station appears to be near downtown Buffalo. An announcement is made about a train going to Cleveland. Trains in downtown Buffalo only go North and East. Westbound trains only leave from a suburban station in Depew, NY.

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Quotes

Laurel Pearson: Do I really look like I want to go to fucking Buffalo?

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Connections

Referenced in (500) Days of Summer (2009)

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Soundtracks

Lonesome Town
Written by Baker Knight (as Thomas Baker Knight)
Performed by Ricky Nelson
Published by Sony / ATV Songs LLC
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film and Television Music

User Reviews

The Most Disappointing Film of 2007

Frank Falenczyk: It isn't that I'm sorry I killed them; it's that I'm sorry I killed them badly.

Wow! Talk about a swing and a miss. You have a great cast and a great plot with endless possibilties...how do you f_ck that up?! Well, apparently John Dahl has found a way. With an atrocious screenplay featuring jokes about as funny as a malaria epidemic and dialogue so painfully dry it makes none of the characters likable, 'You Kill Me' might be the biggest cinematic failure of 2007. On a positive note, Ben Kinglsey provides another great performance as the alcoholic Polish hit man trying to get clean but the material he has to work with is crap. Tea Leoni is good as well as is Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina, Bill Pullman, Philip Baker Hall and the rest of the cast. I guess the best way to describe 'You Kill Me' is a terrible movie with good performances. Grade: D+