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September 2000

Suicide Kings: Special Edition
Reviewed by Roger Kanno
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment: ****
Picture Quality: ***1/2
Sound Quality: ****
Packaged Extras: ****

Starring Christopher Walken, Denis Leary, Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, Henry Thomas, Sean Patrick Flanery, Johnny Galecki

Directed by Peter O'Fallon

Theatrical Release: 1998
DVD Release: 1998
Dolby Digital
Widescreen (Anamorphic)


When I first saw Suicide Kings in an art house theater back in 1998, I was pleasantly surprised by the film, which has often been described as a taught and suspenseful thriller. However, this film is much more than that; it has a dark, macabre sense of humor much like that of Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs in which the horrific and grisly often becomes an unexpected source of humor. Although humor plays an important role in the development of the story line and characters, the dark underlying themes keep this film on the edge of the mainstream. First-time director Peter O’Fallon gives Suicide Kings a very slick and polished feel with innovative camera angles, slow motion photography, artistic fades and wipes, and a very moody music soundtrack.

The story revolves around a group of boys who kidnap gangster Charlie Barrett (Christopher Walken) to gain his help in rescuing one of the boys’ sisters who has also been kidnapped. Walken plays his character with a controlled intensity that is simultaneously frightening and funny. Of course the plan to kidnap a gangster to help rescue someone else who has also been kidnapped quickly becomes complicated and out of the grasp of the group of young boys. This results in many intricate plot twists and a surprising ending that brings everything to a satisfying conclusion.

The boys are played by Jay Mohr (Jerry Maguire), Henry Thomas (E.T.), Jeremy Sisto, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Johnny Galecki. Jeremy Sisto does a good job as the quiet, but deliberate T.K. and Galecki provides some nebbish comic relief, but the other performances are less notable. Laura San Giacomo and Brad Garrett also have small roles and sharp-eyed audiophiles will recognize Joseph Cali as Nick the Nose. Cali, who co-founded Cello Music & Film Systems along with Mark Levinson also happens to be a character actor with many film and television roles to his credit. Denis Leary is good as Charlie Barrett’s henchman, Lono and he have some hilarious exchanges with his less sophisticated sidekick, Mickey. However, it is Christopher Walken who provides the foundation for this film. Not only is his portrayal of a gangster-turned-businessman mesmerizing, much of the story revolves around his character who is often used to introduce plot developments.

The video transfer of this disc is somewhat disappointing. Although there is a filmlike quality to the picture, it is sometimes soft and dark scenes lack definition and detail. Colors are also slightly muted, but are otherwise fairly natural. The soundtrack, although not up to the standards of the more aggressive mixes of many of today’s action films, utilizes stereo music and a mostly mono, but enveloping surround ambience to create a very effective listening experience. The music tracks are very well recorded and are appropriately mixed into the soundtrack to emphasize key scenes and to heighten the drama.

This disc contains the usual extras of cast and crew biographies, production notes, theatrical trailers, movie posters and even a commentary track by one of the writers, Wayne Rice and the director, Peter O’Fallon. It also contains a comparison of one of the scenes with the original storyboards, a multi-angle scene that alternates between the actual scene taken directly from the film and behind-the-scenes footage, and two alternate endings with an introduction and commentary by Peter O’Fallon. Finally, there is the "Tunnel Scene Tutorial" which provides multiple audio tracks of the original soundtrack, the soundtrack with alternate music, music only, alternate music only, dialogue only, and effects only. While these extras are unique, except for the alternate endings, they do not provide much additional insight into the film.

I thoroughly enjoyed Suicide Kings, both in the theater and on DVD. While it did not have the same hype as Pulp Fiction, Fargo, or even Reservoir Dogs, it will still appeal to viewers who enjoy this type of film. Although this DVD has only average video quality, the soundtrack is exceptionally well integrated into the film with an excellent sounding stereo music score and skillful use of the surround channels which adds immensely to the atmosphere of the film.


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