Customer Reviews

Judas Kiss

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Not your ordinary kidnapping caper. There are enough quirky characters, plots twists, well-timed flashbacks, and recognizable actors cast against-type to keep viewers interested, entertained, and intrigued.

Alan Rickman simply cannot make a bad movie or turn in a less than perfect performance. The variety of his role choices continues to provide his fans insight into every possible facet of his magnificent talent. His role as good-cop in 'Judas Kiss' is no exception. Coupled with Emma Thompson as a tough federal agent, the two English talents provide this film with 'class'. Simon Baker (TV's The Guardian) appears as a character devoid of 'class' in a role completely opposite the classy, brooding attorney we have come to associate with this very talented young Australian actor. Hal Holbrook and Roscoe Lee Brown give their usual great performances in roles a little closer-to-home for them.

The steamy sex, mayhem and murder, and New Orleans atmosphere make this film as hot as the 'Big Easy' in August, but the setting compliments rather than overwhelms the film. The story could have been set in any big city.

I recommend this film for those who enjoy a quirky, interesting mystery with style. While for fans of Rickman - it is a must-see!

I'm going to say it right from the beginning-- I absolutely loved this bit of overheated Southern noir. I'm not going to pretend that it is a particularly good movie, but as trashy fun--it hit all the right notes. And all of the things that others have listed as the film's shortcomings are positively endearing. It is delightfully bad in a very great way. Why? It's got to be traced to the screenplay. The ludicrous banter between the cops is priceless, they reference sex and Jim Thompson in equal measures--as if talking about hard boiled noir will make this picture more legitimate. And the dialogue between the kidnappers is so cliche ridden, so colorful, so out of left field. Believable? Not a bit--but super entertaining in an off-kilter way.

In "Judas Kiss," a quartet of impossibly attractive kidnappers stage an elaborate plan to ransom off a software tycoon. As they are executing their plan, a woman stumbles upon them and must be murdered to prevent an eyewitness statement. This, as you might imagine, complicates the plan and all must deal with the implications. A couple of cops looking into this sordid mess are played by Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. With charmingly bad accents, these great actors are a sight to behold. My favorite moment is provided by Thompson undercover in a knit cap on roller blades--trust me, she blends right in!

The kidnappers are all played by appealing and somewhat famous actors. Carla Gugino is ostensibly the lead character and narrator of our story. Smart and sexy, and usually better than her material, I often wonder why she's not a major star. She is hysterical here is full blown sex kitten mode. Simon Baker provides the requisite beefcake action as her often shirtless boyfriend. Gil Bellows is cool and calculating, while Til Sweiger is the "crazy" comedic muscle character. It's all a lot of fun.

In a bizarre effort to sex up the proceedings, we get some nice wacko moments. Two times, a sci-fi porno is being watched by characters within the film. These cheesy, nudity filled sequences add nothing to the story and a sane person would have to question why they are included at all. We also get the romantic backstory, told in flashback, of two of the kidnappers. Absolutely unnecessary and grinding the action to a halt, it is still a major hoot. How else would we get to see Gugino spanked by a violin and receiving oral sex while dangling from a meat hook in a supermarket freezer. Genius!

I'd probably give this about 4 1/2 stars because I love it in a deranged way--but I'll let it slide with a 3. I don't want to oversell it's actual merit. Try it if you're in the mood for a bit of ridiculousness. KGHarris, 11/06.

I was pleasently surprised by this flick. It has good movement and plot twists. The only drawback is that it continues Hollywood's fascination with creating supposed heroes who are actually criminals who deserve life imprisonment or execution. After all, the 'heroine' of this movie did in fact murder an innocent woman in cold blood while carrying out a kidnapping (both are capital offenses). Still, if you can get over that, Carla Gugino is simply stunning and the movie is worth watching if only to see her in her red dress.

If you're sitting around on a Saturday night looking for something entertaining to watch, you just might want to check out "Judas Kiss". Sure it's campy...you bet it's quirky, don't expect Oscar contending material BUT do expect an unusual yet entertaining little film. This is not mainstream stuff. It's a little like "Fargo" meets the "Maltese Falcon". An oddball cast of criminals come together and concoct a scheme to kidnap and extort enough cash from a wealthy businessman to set them up for the good life. Unfortunately, something goes terribly wrong and their crime also includes an unintended murder.

Enter the local police detective and the F.B.I. These are played delightfully by Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. An odd choice to cast two Brits as New Orleans natives...but that's where the fun begins. If you truly want to enjoy this film for what it is, you are going to have to overlook the bad accents. But that's easy to do because it's obvious that these two actors are having a blast playing these roles. Alan is just great as the near-burnt-out, cynical, yet still honest detective and Emma is a hoot as the tough-as-nails F.B.I. agent. No proper Miss Dashwood this time. She is a fast-talking, hard-hitting, no-nonsene dame who exchanges witty repartee and sexy double-entendres with Alan while a cigarette dangles from the corner of her mouth. I was half expecting her to call him "doll-face" or refer to him as a "to-may-tah". She even stalks her suspect on rollerblades. You go, girl!

Alan Rickman is excellent as the detective who slowly realizes that he is being used in an elaborate, backroom scam by corrupt officials. When he finally figures it all out...he's pissed as hell but determined to expose the whole lot of them. Watch out for that golf swing!

The criminals are an unusual bunch with a stand-out performance by Carla Gugino. She is the soul of this disturbing group of misfits and despite the terrible crime she commited, she plays her role with such honesty that you can't help but end up pulling for her.

All in all this is an unusual yet enjoyable film. The New Orleans backdrop and salsa/jazz soundtrack add to the spiciness as this tale twists and turns to it's conclusion. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night.

The film is incredible. It never gets dull. The cast is powerful and complex. It stimulates the mind, body, & soul. Carla Gugino (Coco) is spectacular. She is the fire of the film which is enforced with her attire. - RED - Fabulous script and settings. You could not pick a better location then New Orleans, LA!

I initially watched this film because of my favorite actor Alan Rickman. And while I enjoyed his performance here(as well as Emma Thompson's), I felt the movie wasn't all that great. I didn't get really interested in the plot until halfway through the movie. The only scenes I enjoyed were the ones with Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson, it was a really interesting choice having two well loved and well respected British actors play these parts, and if you can get past the accents,(Alan did a better job than Emma, but that is because he has "the voice") which at times was hard to understand, they did an awesome job with these roles.

The story revolves around a group of kidnappers led by Carla Gugino. They kidnap a computer genius (played by Greg Wise-real life husband of Emma Thompson), but then turns into murder when Carla's character murders the Senator's wife. There is a government conspiracy which Det. David Friedman(Alan Rickman) tries to uncover. Emma plays the FBI agent Sadie Hawkins.

I wouldn't recommend this film unless you are a fan of Alan Rickman or Emma Thompson, or if you are a big fan of film noir.

I came to this film with the attitude of enjoying a bit of ridiculous 'camp'. Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman sporting Nawlins accents? I couldn't pass that up. Well, even with the right attitude coming in, it was at times painful. Emma's dialect coach should have been shot; Alan did better, at least he sounded like he was aiming at a southern accent, but he tends to drawl a bit anyhow so maybe it was easier for him. However, Emma and Alan are only supporting characters. The main characters are not terrible or anything, but really not that compelling.

Oh, the plot. The film does have a good plot, and it could have been interesting, but nonetheless I found it a bit plodding. And as others, have noted, the editting is so weak it's comical. Oh actually there is a quite memorable scene: the cunnilingus scene in a meat locker. Wow, that was...um...unusual.

Well, Emma and Alan fans will no doubt watch it, but save it for a slow mid-week night. Actually, any Emma fans with a sense of humor should definitely watch this at some point. Emma is obviously having a good time, and seeing her dangle a cigarette while tailing on roller blades is something else. It's just that you might not want to choose this as a film to watch with friends, unless you want to expose the depths to which you will descend to watch Emma or Alan on the screen.

Addendum: Alan plays a good character here. It's a nice lite break if you've been working through his films where he often plays morally ambiguous (or not so ambiguous) characters in films that explore difficult themes.

Buy this only is you're crazy about Alan Rickman or Emma Thompson. The two British actors are the best part about this movie made in the Deep South but neither one of them has enough screen time. Their New Orleans' accents are passable and their roles are out of the ordinary. The movie's premise is good, but the flashback techniques slow it down. The gratuitous sex scenes don't do a lot for it, either. Fortunately, Rickman, Thompson and abductee Greg Wise reunite in "Sense and Sensibility," a movie anyone would be proud to own.

"Judas Kiss" is one of those movies that is both a tribute to and a send up of the film noir genre. Think "3000 Miles to Graceland" only not as tightly plotted. The ensemble cast is great and the whole "are they going to get away with it?" plotline is well done although I feel that some of the clues should have been shown to the audience earlier in the film rather than towards the end. Everyone in the cast does a good job, but I would agree that Carla Gugino gives a stand out performance with good support from Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson as the cops. Rickman, looking like an unmade bed, plays the world-weary, but ultimately honest Det. Friedman. Thompson is sassy and fun as the tough and unconventional F.B.I. agent, Sadie Hawkins. I would describe the overall look of the film as "jazzy"--slick and sharp while being sensual as well. If you enjoy film noir as much as I do, definitely pick up a copy of this film. I can only hope that they will be bringing in out on DVD soon.

This movie is really spectacular. Even though its plot is of stock Hollywood origin, it is made and enacted very professionally. I think you'll find that this movie has some of the best acting of any movie made in 1999, it's just a shame it wasn't better known.... And suppose you're set on watching a movie solely for sex appeal. You will not be dissappointed as Carla Gugino is exceptionally good looking, even better than, oh, I don't know... Charlize Theron? Fun Fact: Gugino co-produced this movie, but this self-promotion doesn't seem so bad when you see her act, or just see her: she's mad hot.