Suicide Kings has Christopher Walken, Denis Leary, Sean Patrick Flannery, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, and Henry Thomas. It's a seven star movie and Joe Eszterhas had nothingto do with it, so it mustbe good.
The film, which takes its name from a game of poker which Ira (Galecki) expects to be playing at his parents' mansion, is about the kidnapping of a retired Mafia capo (Walken) by four preppie kids (Max, Brett, T.K., and Avery) who hold him hostage at the mansion in order to extort money and aid from him to help rescue Avery's kidnapped sister, Elise. The boys believe that Walken's mob connections will enable him to order his henchmen to track down the thugs who have apparently kidnapped the girl. Unbeknownst to them, Walken's number one hit man, the violent, obsessive Lono Vecchio (Leary) is inexorably tracking them down.
There are no bad performances in Suicide Kings, but there are no great performances either (although Walken, a very physical actor who spends most of the film tied to a chair, is certainly deserving of praise, and Leary is downright scary). Nevertheless, director Peter O'Fallon, cinematographer Christopher Baffa, and editor Chris Peppe utilize the talents of the seven stars to create an ensemble piece of exceptionally high quality. Henry Thomas, in particular, distinguishes himself as a "director's actor," a great raw talent who only needs a firm hand, good lighting, and great editing to exhibit a stellar performance. (By the way, Henry, everyone's dying to know: did Traci Brennan send you that picture of yourself in Valmont or not?)
Still, all of the kidnappers are strongly drawn: Flannery as Max, who was Elise's secret lover; Galecki as the unhappy and increasingly hysterical Ira; Mohr as Brett, the cold-blooded, power-hungry mastermind of the scheme; Sisto as T. K., the almost-doctor whose inadequate, drug-adled treatment of Charlie jeopardizes everyone's life; and Thomas as Avery Chasten, who is holding more than one secret close to his vest.
The tension level of Suicide Kings mounts dramatically as hit man Vecchio closes in on all of the kidnappers -- the boys and those who have been fingered as having kidnapped Elise. Vecchio threatens to kill a homeless man who washes the window of his car, ruthlessly beats a petty hood, gives an abusive step-father a taste of his own medicine, and finally -- mercilessly -- strikes back at the kidnappers.
Having early on successfully predicted the winners of last year's Best Screenplay Oscars (picking L. A. Confidential while still in my theater seat!), I'll say that Suicide Kings, adapted from Don Stanford's short story "The Hostage" by screenwriters Josh McKinney, Gina Goldman, and writer-producer Wayne Rice, will likely be a contender for the Best Adapted Screenplay awards, and may well win a Golden Globe (or two).
After panning so many movies last year, I am very happy to give Suicide Kings my highest rating: W8 -- WORTH $8.00!
By the way, in case you hadn't guessed, Suicide Kings is a comedy. It really is; and a darn good one, too.