I still have some physical media I want to review, and I’m about to be swamped with screener nonsense, but I wanted to get one in just for me. 8MM is currently on Tubi. I’ve already written a way too long article on that underrated Cage classic, but every time I come across 8MM, it makes me think of Kiss of Death. I hoped the addition of 8MM meant Kiss of Death would be somewhere, too. Nope. Kiss of Death remains stranded on DVD, with no streaming options (ever, that I’m aware of) and no upcoming 4K (where are you when we need you, Arrow?). Aside from what looks like a bootleg blu-ray from Spain, this ‘90s crime thriller seems to be truly forgotten (although Bill Simmons remembers, as he has personally begged Tubi to add the film so they can cover it on The Rewatchables podcast). With no streaming options, I dug out my sturdy flipper disc DVD and watched Kiss of Death for probably the twentieth time. Here are some thoughts.
The ‘90s were a great time for crime thrillers. We didn’t know how good we had it back then. Every few months some ugly crime drama with a ridiculous cast would do kind of okay at the box office and, more importantly, show up in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart. These things were a dime a dozen, but if Nic Cage was involved, it could be special.
Kiss of Death is more of a David Caruso film, unfortunately. It’s an adaptation of an old noir film that keeps the general premise of a criminal seeking revenge for his wife’s death, but overall this is its own film. Caruso is doing his disinterested thing which led to the joke in 40-Year-Old Virgin (“Be like David Caruso in Jade.”), and it’s fine, but everyone around him is so much more interesting.
There’s Michael Rapaport taking dirtbag to unprecedented levels. Phillip Baker Hall as a mob boss on oxygen. Stanley Tucci as a piece of shit DA. Samuel L. Jackson as a detective with a Bond villain ailment after getting shot in the face. Helen Hunt as Caruso’s tragic wife; tragic in that she has to have multiple scenes with Rapaport. Ving Rhames as a coked-up fed. Not to mention Kathryn Erbe, Anthony Heald, Anne Meara, Kevin Corrigan, Hope Davis, and an uncredited Paul Calderon and Jay O. Sanders. Even the dude who played Mr. Big in Wayne’s World pops up in a scene. It’s fucking great.
That exhausting list of excellent side characters is worth a watch alone, but this is Cage’s film. He plays Little Junior, the boss’s son. He’s obsessed with working out even though he’s horrible asthmatic (and can’t stand the taste of metal, which is a thing, I guess?). In early scenes he throws a dude out of semi directly onto his head, he bench-presses his stripper girlfriend, and he jumps rope (the jump rope scene isn’t all that cool, but it’s part of the exercise shit, so I felt obligated to include it). In other words, don’t fuck with Little Junior.
This all might sound like the makings of a classic Cage batshit performance, but he’s surprisingly subdued, and the movie is better for it. He still has his explosive moments, like when he beats Rapaport to death while “Jump Around” plays, but those moments are more impactful because of his low energy in other moments. Also, Cage is more intimidating when he’s quiet. The screaming is great, but it becomes comedic. I prefer this Cage, issuing calm threats in a New York(?) accent.
To be clear, though, this is still a Nic Cage performance. For any other actor, half the shit he does in this movie would be their most memorable performance. There are still plenty of wacky moments. My favorite is when his father dies, and it cuts to him at their strip club, jumping up and down and growling and yelling. When a patron asks what his problem is, Cage yells that his father is dead and beats the shit out of the guy.
Beyond that, I just love the mood of Kiss of Death. Almost everyone is such a piece of shit in this. The cops are just as bad as the criminals, and that’s not some kind of theme or something; it’s just the way the world is. Something I appreciated during this re-watch was how fast everything movies. There isn’t a wasted minute in this film, and the story doesn’t suffer for it.
Kiss of Death isn’t amazing, but it’s good enough to get out of DVD hell. I would settle just for someone to get the streaming rights, so it’s easier to watch and hopefully in HD. But I really want Arrow or Kino Lorber to give it the treatment it deserves. The only behind-the-scenes thing I could find was a French TV show that had short interviews with director Barbet Schroeder, Caruso, and Cage. Cage did provide an interesting detail about a stunt gone wrong, but aside from that, it’s not too in depth. Surely, some of these guys would be available to share some stories now.
Hopefully I’m writing about the new 4K of this film some day. But for now, I’ll just take care of my ancient DVD, since it’s the only way to watch Kiss of Death for now.
Random Thoughts
Cage throwing the drunk out of the semi is brutal and it's done in a wide shot to show it's a real stunt performer. Wild.
I did find one interview from some French show at the time with Cage, and he talks about that scene. Apparently, the guy really did get hurt, and was knocked unconscious from the throw. Cage continued the scene, thinking the blood on the guy’s head was fake, but it was real. As soon as the scene was over, they had to rush the actor to the hospital. I was thinking as I watched it this time, “How did they fake that?” Turns out they didn’t.
How the hell was that stunt supposed to go, though?
Rapaport: “You know what you're problem is? You're a liberal!”
So he’s always been this way.
But for those of us that find Rapaport unbearable in real life and on screen, there's a great scene later on.
Rapaport has always been hateable on screen, but this might be his apex of shitheadedness.
Caruso meets with the DA to start naming names, and he's wearing a collared shirt half buttoned up. I guess I can see why they would actually take him to the DA in plain clothes rather than go to him in prison, but did Caruso insist on barely buttoning up? I bet yes.
Anytime Cage is in the background of a scene, he’s doing some kind of exercise. I love this fucking movie.
Cage brings outfits and music to beat Rapaport to death. You have to appreciate the prop work.
And the audacity to wear all-white to beat someone to death. Even with the Gorton's fisherman slicker, it's a bold choice.
I always thought Samuel L. Jackson's gut punches were odd. He reaches back like crazy.
Caruso doesn't steal a car because the owner left their dog in the car. What kind of fucking psycho leaves their dog locked in a car every night? This was back in the ‘90s, just buy the Club, you dildo.
Little Junior has never heard the phrase “Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger”? Too push working out to hear clichés?
I don’t know why, but I think often about Cage having to use plastic utensils because the taste of metal makes him gag. Such a weird trait, and hilarious that he decides to share this with Caruso as a sign of trust.
“I couldn't get plastic forks in jail. I had to eat everything with my fingers.”
This turns into a horror movie for a second when they find the daughter with B.A.D. written on her forward. She does this slow turn to camera and they ADR “I wanna be with my mommy.”
It seems like strip clubs were more prominent in ‘90s movies.
Kind of hilarious that Cage beats the shit out of Caruso while have an asthma attack.
His fucking inhaler has “B.A.D.” bedazzled on it. God damn, I want more behind the scenes info on this movie. Where are you with this one, Arrow?
And he still gets to keep the stolen car from Little Junior? Sure, why not?
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