KISS OR KILL
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
"We watch the show of shadows kiss or kill,
Flavored of celluloid, give love the lie"
- Dylan Thomas in the Opening Credits
KISS OR KILL starts with a shocking immolation scene. While the mother burns, her small daughter looks on in horror. We then cut to the present where the now grown daughter, Nikki, leads a life of crime with her boyfriend, Al.
This Australian criminals-on-the-run picture is directed by Bill Bennett, whose last movie, TWO IF BY SEA, made my worst films list for 1996. KISS OR KILL is infinitely better than his last picture, but still not quite worth recommending.
Two actors from the delightful but inconsequential LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES play the leads in KISS OR KILL. Frances O'Connor is the sleepwalking woman named Nikki, who may or may not slit throats as a sideline, and Matt Day plays her explosive boyfriend, Al, who must be the throat slicer if she isn't.
It all starts with their usual MO. Sexy Nikki, wearing a minimalist red dress, hits on some married man alone in a bar. After luring him to her room for some hot sex, she drugs him, and she and Al take the guy's money. One night, they accidentally kill a guy with an overdose, and, except for a Rolex, the only thing he has is a videotape. On the tape is a pedophiliac scene of a famous athlete named Zipper Doyle (Barry Langrishe), now rich and retired. And part of the tape has a woman that looks like Nikki in bed with Zipper.
If you're a fan of experimental editing techniques, you'll love what editor Henry Dangar does in KISS OR KILL. Using more jump cuts that I've seen in while, scenes jump back and forth from wide angle to close-up and forward and backward in time all while maintaining vocal continuity. When the story begins to flag, the editing does keep your attention just as too much caffeine keeps you jittery.
In contrast to the vicious killers on the loose, the local cops are exceedingly polite. Their every other phrase seems to be a hearty, "thank you matey." The film is set mainly in the Australian outback, which the police describe succinctly as, "it's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here."
Although the two leads are good, their characters are rarely compelling. Both actors would be worth looking for in future movies. KISS OR KILL is not a bad film, but it is too often more an exercise in style than an interesting narrative.
KISS OR KILL runs 1:33. It is rated R for sex, nudity, profanity, attempted rape, and gore. The film would be acceptable for teenagers only if they are older and very mature.
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