Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

videorama-759-859391 I've seen this average by the numbers film a couple of time. I don't think it could really be anymore predictable. You know what's gonna happen each scene after the next. Starting with a thrilling and bloody drop, what follows is a sort of melodrama packed into a movie with music themes, familiar to those used in The Silence Of The Lambs. With his mother pushing him to be a success in life, after attending college, a young budding career minded guy, Jonathan (Matt Dillon) resorts to killing his ex fiancée as becoming pregnant, as rich Daddy (a fine Max Von Sydow) will cut her out of the will, and money hungry Dillon, can't have that. Now we see he's masquerading as a lover with the sister of the deceased, who's really the only one who believes her sister's suicide was a murder instead, where she can't let go, hence creating problems for Dillon, forced to get bloody again, and you thriller fans know how it goes. Entertainment wise, I still very much enjoy AKBD, sadly the most exciting part, the start with a blood splashing drop, and some of Dillon's expressions, will send chills up your spine. What's awfully familiar here, if not surprising, is the novel was written by the same woman, who wrote the novel, Sliver, from which a bad movie spawned, with a much similar, less blood splattering opening. Dillon has always been a good actor and never lacks, and nor has he done so here. It's Young, who just lazily utilizes character acting, where here was a chance as an actress, to show how versatile she could be, and it seems, she doesn't really care here. Take a leaf out of Van Dammne's book in Double Impact, honey. As playing the two sisters, and I won't even wrack my brain, trying to remember the names. Both characters, are annoying, especially the first one, where I didn't really care much for her acting and her character in the second, prime one, I was glad to see the first go. It's Diane Ladd who stole the acting gold here as Dillon's mother. I liked the fact, James Russo was in this, and did enjoy his scenes, where too, I got the feeling as an actor, he didn't really wanna be there, though did us solid. Here's still a drama thriller to kill time, but after seeing it, may'be even you feel like dropping Young from a towering zenith.

Desertman84 A Kiss Before Dying neo-noir film that was a remake of the 1956 film of the same title.It stars Matt Dillon,Sean Young,Diane Ladd and Max von Sydow.The film was written and directed by James Dearden,who based it on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin.The story focuses on Jonathan Corliss,who is a poor college student with aspirations of wealth. Since childhood he has been obsessed with the fortunes of a company called Carlsson Copper. While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he plans to ingratiate himself with the wealthy family of magnate Thor Carlsson and has begun secretly dating Carlsson's daughter Dorothy. When Dorothy learns that she's pregnant, she informs Jonathan that she'll be cut off without her inheritance when her father learns the truth. Jonathan decides to murder her, and makes it look like a suicide; then he moves to New York. There, he makes the acquaintance of Ellen Carlsson,the late Dorothy's twin sister, and begins courting her.This time he is more successful, winning Ellen's hand in marriage and a powerful position in his new father-in-law's company. However, Ellen has long been suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her twin's death, and she probes deeper into the supposed suicide. She uncovers alarming facts about some other murders and the identity of her sister's unknown lover.Although the performances of Dillon,Ladd and von Sydow should be given merit,the same could not be said of Young in her dual role as Dorothy and Ellen.Aside from that,the movie lacks suspense all throughout as the filmmakers weren't able to transfer the tension-filled story on screen.In the end,the 1991 remake fails to live up to the greatness of the 1956 movie.

lastliberal Why do they do it? Just because a film was made once in the fifties, someone thinks they need to remake it with today's hot stars. At least they could improve on the story.The most glaring hole in this version is the fact that the father (Max von Sydow) hired a private detective to investigate the boyfriend of his daughter, and yet he declined to investigate the boyfriend of his other daughter, both played by Sean Young, which would have exposed the plot.Matt Dillon plots to have it all and has to do some things that just stretch us beyond belief to get there. He just seems to be in the right place at the right time just once or twice too often for my tastes.I fell in love with Sean Young when she did No Way Out back in 1987. I haven't seen much of her lately and understand that she has not been doing so well. I thought she was good in this role and think that she has been unfairly criticized.Still, I believe film noir is best watched in films of the fifties and remakes just don't do it for me.

bronty Poor Sean Young. Once upon a time she was an actress with such a bright future, poised, seemingly, for great stardom. She even had a quality that recalled some of the glamour and allure of the 40's and 50's. Put to good use in such films as "Blade Runner" and "No Way Out", there seemed nearly no end in sight. And then her "difficult" personality got in the way and Oliver Stone fired her from "Wall Street", in which she was to have a major part; then her alleged relationship with former co-star James Woods, and subsequent "Fatal Attraction"-style antics against him, in addition to her amusingly disturbing all-out efforts to snag the role of 'Catwoman' in the first sequel to "Batman", seemed to have a snowball effect, effectively curtailing her trajectory and reducing her to such projects as "Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde" and numerous direct-to-cable/video duds. While "A Kiss Before Dying" has a much better pedigree than "Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde" ever could, thanks in part to being based on a solid, little Ira Levin book and blessed with at least two respected actors (Diane Ladd and Max Von Sydow), it, too, is a near-total failure, and Sean Young is, sadly, a major factor as to 'why'. With a strong director and viable material, she has proved to be a good actor and oddly charismatic, even when the film didn't warrant it (see "Blade Runner"). She was never a GREAT actress, mind you, but had an unmistakable appeal. Here, however, even that appeal seems gone, for nothing can disguise her sleepwalking performance in a dual role as twins, one of whom is murdered (her death scene is brutal), the other of whom decides to investigate the death, never believing it was the suicide it was assumed to be. Soon after her investigation begins, she meets the man who, unbeknownst to her, murdered her sister. This man is played by Matt Dillon, who is supposed to be charming, seductive, secretive, elusive, and ruthless. While one can easily imagine an actor as physically pretty as Robert Wagner - he wasn't just 'handsome', he was 'pretty', let's face it - Matt Dillon is simply wrong, in every manner, for this part. Totally miscast, he is neither particularly charming nor seductive, and seemingly unable to register the ruthlessness and danger the part calls for. His thick, New York accent is also a distraction, at least in this role. That he and Young have absolutely no chemistry doesn't help matters any, making yet another major quibble a minor one: both seem a bit too old. In supporting roles, as Dillon's mother and Young's father, Diane Ladd and Max Von Sydow provide much-needed class to the potboiler/neo-noir proceedings, though Ladd comes off more successfully; Von Sydow is utterly wasted. ANY actor could have done his role - why choose someone SO spectacularly talented for such a thankless part? As for the screenplay, though based on the book, it seems to be stuffed with every cliché from every modern-day thriller, right down to the routine and predictable climax (apparently reshot after test audiences didn't approve) and the pointless, if limited, sex scenes, which might titillate some (thanks to mild nudity) but do nothing to further the plot or add to the tension. The direction, too, is at fault: since everything here is something you've seen before (and in much better films), and nearly each moment is telegraphed well in advance, there are practically zero chills or thrills to be had. Strong actors may have been able to smooth over these problems, but again, the film is done no service by its leads, particularly Young, who is plain AWFUL. It surely stands with Demi Moore in "The Scarlet Letter" and Elizabeth Berkley in "Showgirls" as being one of THE worst performances in a major motion picture - and, perhaps, even WORSE because Young is playing TWO parts. She rightfully won her 2 Razzies (for Worst Actress and Supporting Actress). But, as said, Dillon's not too much better. A little bit but not much. HIS line readings, at least, don't suggest a coma. Unfortunately, for the audience, a coma might just be preferable to sitting through this lot.