Movies You May Not Know – Suicide Kings
Take a seat, class is in session.
So as anyone who reads on any consistent level has seen, the Professor tends to slack and that’s never good. I enjoy writing when I can and I always enjoy my movies, but I’m picky as to what I’ll spend my money on in theaters, so I don’t always have something to put up. To help keep myself going, and to keep the Boss happy (you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry) I’m going to try something that hopefully will have me posting at least once a week. I’m calling it “Movies You May Not Know.” These will be favorite movies of mine that not many people have ever heard of. The idea is in hopes of showing you something you may have missed and might be interested in seeing. The first movie I’m going with? A 1997 comedy/mystery/drama called…
Normally, I would stop at the fact that this is a Christopher Walken movie. What more excuse do you really need to watch it? How bout Jay Mohr (comedian, Jerry Macguire), Sean Patrick Flannery (Boondock Saints, Dexter), Denis Leary (comedian, Rescue Me), Henry Thomas (E.T.), Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under), Johnny Galecki (Big Bang Theory), and Laura Harris (The Faculty, Dead Like Me)? It’s a cast of people you know and a bunch more you would recognize. Even if you don’t recognize most of the names, trust me when I tell you it’s a really good cast.
The movie itself? The movie is a whole lot of fun. Even though it’s 17 years old, I’m still going to avoid spoilers because the whole purpose of this is just in case you haven’t seen it. Would pretty much ruin that if I told you what happens, wouldn’t it? What I can tell you is the basic premise: Christopher Walken plays an old “retired” mob boss named Carlo “Charlie Barret” Bartolucci who comes to his usual evening hangout to find a group of young, college kids sitting at his table. The bartender asks the kids to leave, but Charlie stops him and sits with the kids to have drinks. This is where everything goes awry. The boys end up kidnapping Charlie as they believe he is the only one who can help them solve their problem. What follows is a series of twists, turns, and lies that slowly lead to the ultimate reveal of just what exactly is going on. For me, it was a fantastic blend of mystery, drama, and comedy that keeps the movie light when it needs to be, and dark when it has to be. I personally did not see the ending coming and loved that I didn’t. Well, any of the endings….
The movie is made entirely by its cast. They give some fun and fantastic performances. Walken is Walken, what more does that need? He has always played a great gangster and continues to do so here. He even gets to flex his comedic chops and it just feels natural. Leary plays his driver/bodyguard Lono. Lono is psychotic, hilarious, and insanely loyal. His interactions alone while trying to track down Charlie make the movie worth it themselves. While I’m fairly certain none of the 5 other main actors were really college student age, they all pull it off fantastically. Mohr is the arrogant mastermind Brett who believes his plan is entirely foolproof…until it’s not. Henry Thomas is the timid Avery who isn’t sure he believes in the plan, but doesn’t know any other way out. He and Laura Harris, who plays his sister Elise, are major focal points in the movie. Flanery plays Max, Elise’s boyfriend, and he more or less is along for the ride, all for the love of his girlfriend. Sisto is the good friend T.K., the man who helped design the plan and is the med student responsible for making sure Charlie stays alive. Galecki plays Ira, the unfortunate 5th wheel whose house gets used to store Charlie. Ira…he’s the man and a total neurotic sap. They cast blends together and plays off each other surprisingly well for people from completely different walks of Hollywood. By the end of the movie, you honestly believe these 5 guys grew up together, yet have no idea who each other truly is. That is what makes the movie so much fun.
This is one of my top 10 favorite movies. The dialogue is hilarious, the story is really well written, and the twists and turns are hard to see coming. It all combines for a seriously entertaining movie. Give it a look, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Until next time…
Class dismissed.
