Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

NateWatchesCoolMovies There's a whole ton of 90's crime flicks out there. I should know, as it's my favourite decade for the genre, and for film in general. There's nothing like a nice piece of sassy, bloody 90's neo noir. On that note, Suicide Kings makes a rewarding, if slight entry into the niche. It's got a well rounded cast, smart ass dialogue and some moments of pure, unfiltered black comedy. Parts of it are unfocused and not all attempts at humour land squarely, but when it's good, it's good, baby. The key ingredient in any crime/comedy? Stupid people. You have to have some dundering friggin morons who think they got what it takes to pull off some idiotic scheme that's well above their pay grade and intellegience level. They show up here in the form of a gaggle of cocky frat boys who attempt to kidnap an ex mafioso for ransom. Slick pretty boy Sean Patrick Flanery, anxious dweeb Johnny Galecki, reserved Doctor Jeremy Sisto, terrified sensitive boy Henry Thomas and arrogent hotshot Jay Mohr. The mafioso is played by...guess. yep, Christopher Walken, silkily dangerous as Charlie Bartolucci, a guy who used to be a guy you don't want to mess with, and as the film progresses, unravels back to that volatile state. Walken spends most of the film tied to a chair and even then finds ways to amuse and terrify with his impish aura. Another key component in these neo noir's: an angry bad dude sent to inflict all kinds of pain and suffering on the idiots, personified by wiseass Lono Vecchio (Denis Leary). He hunts them down with verve, also dealing with two clinically insane hit men (Brad Garrett and Frank Medrano, priceless) who are involved as well. The plot thickens to just this side of convoluted, as the boys realize that one amongst them is pulling a nasty Judas on the other four. Leary, like I said before, is capable of staggering gravitas in between sessions of manic joker antics. Here the film stops dead in its tracks midway through so he can teach an abusive father a cringe worthy, painful lesson, preceded by a sorrowful monologue about his youth. It's the best part of the film in the sense that the tone is completely different from every other scene, making it memorable. This one isn't perfect, I wouldn't call it an amazing flick, but it's got moments of pure genius, and overall is pretty fun, if only two thirds of a great one. Worth it for Walken and Leary. It also has a stinger of an ending that goes against the grain and may rub people the wrong way, but I applauded for not pussying out.

cmoyton This is certainly a movie for switching off the brain and cutting it a bit of slack. The story is unbelievable. The plan hatched by the rich kids isn't even half baked, They are sloppy, careless and idiotic to believe that they can rectify one kidnapping scenario by themselves kidnapping an infamous mobster. Then they cut off one of his fingers! No face masks, names and personal details revealed they get whats coming to them.Suicide Kings is close to a one man show. This is Walken at his supreme best. Angry , menacing, ice cold and funny. Often all at the same time. He carries the movie so much that it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. The weakest characters for me were the two gangsters used by the insider for the initial kidnap. They were just too screwball even for a black comedy like this. Their humour was forced and unnatural while the rest of the comedy flowed. Spoiled for me what otherwise would have been a perfect 10.

Frederick Smith A couple of years back, I was looking through a copy of Maxim magazine and I found a list of 20 films saved by having Christopher Walken in them. As you have probably guessed, Suicide Kings was among the 20, actually, I believe it was number 3.This was Peter O'Fallon's premiere film for the big screen (he has since made only one other, although he continues to direct numerous television series), and there are a lot of things that might have gone a little better. The dialog is weak in spots, the premise of a "made guy" going off with a bunch of preppy kids is a little off the wall, and the overall feel of the film drags from time to time. But that doesn't mean it is a total failure.As a matter of fact, just the opposite. Needless to say Walken and Leary come off exceptionally well, and the remainder of the cast is believable. Johnny Galecki comes off as Johnny Galecki, which is to say his dialog and acting are better suited to his current role in Big Bang Theory than to the big screen. Jay Mohr, well, I never have like Mohr, so I can tell you his character is passable, but he never quite rises to the level needed for his part. Henry Thomas and Sean Patrick Flannery both give good performances, and are really the two character who draw your interest. Jeremy Sisto as the medical student tending to Walken is more than adequate to the role, and you can see the young actor's ability flourishing into the actor he has become.As to the film itself, the plot, once you get past the implausible part, is good and moves pretty well, although there is a lot of exposition that seems pointless until you get to the very end. By then, unfortunately, you lose interest, unless you are a die hard Walken fan (guilty as charged).Since I have the DVD (yes, I pulled it out of the bargain bin at WalMart), I've watched the alternative endings and listened to O'Fallon's comments, and the one that struck me the most was his comparison of the final scene of the film to one in The Usual Suspects. Hmmm. Not even close, Pete.Rated R for violence, language, torture, and some nudity, this film is one you might want to rent just to see why television directors who are really good at their jobs should stick to television. Definitely a

serpent_coil I admit I only saw this movie because it starred Christopher Walken and I figured it would at least be worth the time. And sure enough... I liked it. Sure, there were more then a few strange holes in the plot. And sure, you won't be seeing any Oscar-worthy performances. But I enjoyed it nonetheless goddammit! Sometimes you just have to watch a movie without overanalysing it and just enjoy the ride. I guess one of the things you could get hung up on is the fact that the whole set-up for the movie depends on the fact whether a mob-boss chooses to get in a car with a gang of youngsters he's never seen before to join for dinner with one of their fathers. A bit hard to swallow I'll admit. But hey, if you accept that someone could acquire superpowers by getting bitten by a radioactive spider this is a small leap of faith. Anyway, there are more of these strange irregularities in the script but I'll take a few strange coincidences for the sake of a good movie. What I'm having a harder time dealing with is the strange tone. It's like the director couldn't make up his mind whether to make it a dark comedy or a thriller/gangster film. Now it just sort of stumbles in between. A shame really, because it is a great set up with a rather unusual hostage situation where the hostage gradually takes control of and turns the tables on his kidnappers. In the right hands this could have been a fantastic movie instead of just a good one.6/10