Customer Reviews

Kiss Or Kill [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kiss Or Kill kept me on the edge of my seat for nearly two hours. Young lovers Nikki and Al are petty scam artists. Nikki picks up wealthy business men in bars, takes then back to their hotel room, then drugs them to sleep. Al arrives, and the two are off with the booty. Only something goes wrong this time, and the perp goes to sleep never to wake again. There stolen treasure, and their demise, is a homemade chicken video featuring a famous and wealthy ex-footballer (soccer player) named Zipper Doyle. Robbery is a messy business, but blackmail would be much more clean and profitable.

Nikki and Al escape across the Australian outback pursued by the police and Zipper. During their travels, the people they meet end up dead. Not unusual for a road adventure, except that the viewer doesn't witness the murders. Al is prone to violent outbursts, where Nikki is shaken by the string of murders. Nikki's character is the more complex and elusive. She witnessed a horrifying act as a child, and she also sleep walks. Much like the relationship of a conventional couple, Nikki and Al surmount mistrust, selfishness, greed and loathing; their trials are on the road (surrounded by corpses), not at home. Their love is always precariously balanced between bliss and self-destruction. And in the end, their love is triumphant.

Most interesting about Kiss Or Kill is the supernatural aura of the outback. Only Nikki feels its magnetism. Writer-director Bill Bennett is an excellent storyteller: revealing just enough to satisfy the viewer's appetite, but always keeping some of the storyline secret to hold the viewer's attention. He loves jump shoots. The effect is unsettling, just as intended. He also shoots the lovers from different angles. Back and forth between the two: profile, side, back. We can't tell if they're siting or standing, moving or still. Very disorienting. We've kept guessing as to exactly what the couple are doing. So are the police, so is Zipper Doyle, and so are the other characters in the film. Nikki and Al are on a trip with no destination. The only thing that we are certain of (and proven wrong) is that they will not be successful.

This movie is not a love story - it's not about a couple in love travelling around. It is much more. The opening scene has the be one of the most chilling scenes I've ever seen. The twists and turns kept me wanting more throughout the movie. The scenery is awe-inspiring (especially the nuclear testing site). The dialog is witty. Doesn't anyone remember the word "original" anymore?

Note that there is absolutely no music in this movie. All the suspense, shocks and emotion is immersive - you feel it because it seems real to you, the film-making convinces you, not because the music tricks you into it. I'd like to see Hollywood pull this off - I've heard film makers claim that the music in movies is 3/4 of the emotional experience!? Then we wonder why most movies out of Hollywood are forgettable, uninspiring, "nothing new here" drivel.

Anyone who's sick of Hollywood american-centric films should see this. Anyone who enjoys stylish movies like Tarantino will definitely enjoy this film.

The time-honored Desperate Lovers On The Lam Noir gets the Outback treatment in this modestly budgeted Aussie thriller that initially recalls "Natural Born Killers" but opts for the low-key approach of "Badlands" in telling its story. There is an atypical plot element that cannot be discussed in much depth without becoming a "spoiler". Suffice it to say that there is a bit of Peter Weir influence (think "The Last Wave", with its cryptic elements of Aboriginal mysticism). The film is boosted by uniformly good performances, with the compelling Frances O'Connor emerging as someone to watch for in the future. The film's ending feels a bit forced and "tacked on", and some repetitive film school tricks are somewhat distracting, but certainly not unexpected with a fledgling director. Worth a look.

This isn't your typical American film. And being Australian, thank God it's not. There's no suspense building music interludes, no smooth special effects. Instead, this movie forces itself into your mind based off sound acting and direction. The different angles of camera shots, the jumpy nature of the film, all of it takes away from the stereo typical Hollywood drippings that clutter most films today. Frances O'Connor well deserved the awards that she won for this movie. It deserves its two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert. It's different than what somewhat drunk on Hollywood would expect, so it may not be for everyone. But for anyone who finally wants to see good acting and a plot that keeps you guessing...it's worth the watching.

Forget the trashy title and cover art--there's real intelligence and style behind this gem of an Australian road adventure/mystery. A young couple encounters strange deaths while pursued by police and a local celebrity across the backcountry landscape. Even after suspicion is cast on a most surprising party, this low-key drama keeps you guessing. Plenty of offbeat characters, including the cops. This deserved to get better notice in theatrical release.

The premise of this movie looks good on paper. Two lovers running from the law on the highway, murdering human obstacles. And the awards it won (Australian movie of the Year, etc.)may lead you to believe that this is a movie not to be missed. But don't be fooled. It's a barely competent thriller, with only a minimal level of suspense and a threadbare storyline. The film bogs down completely halfway through, and the ending is unsatisfying. Avoid this overrated picture.

I saw this movie only because I saw LOVE AND OTHER CATastrophes which Frances O'Connor and Matt Day were in. When I watched this movie I had no idea what to expect and after seeing it I realize I still don't. it's the love story between 2 people in love who run around the country. There are a couple of scenes that had nothing to do with the movie.But all in all not the worst movie I've seen.

The opening scene of this lovers on the lam, Aussie style, noire thriller is designed to arrest our attention. Mommie answers the door only to have gasoline tossed on her and lighted while her four-year-old daughter Nikki watches. This accounts for Nikki's life of crime and explains why one night she doses her lover boy with the same stuff. However she doesn't light him up; it's only an exciting little joke.

Anyway, our lovers, Nikki and Al, have a little scam. They target business men at their hotels, Nikki as bait, Al to finish them off. An overdose of the mickey kills one of their victims and the lovers hit the road, chased by the cops and by a rugby legend whose pedophile video starring himself they have accidentally acquired. He has to keep THAT secret. So we have a chase for most of the movie, a kind of imitation Natural Born Killers (1994) cum Wild at Heart (1990) with some original spin and some diverting down under culture clips including the cops using sunscreen to protect the tips of their ears from skin cancer while the hole in the ozone layer grows.

Francis O'Connor, who plays Nikki is a little on the ugly/sexy side, mostly ugly, but Matt Day, who plays Al, adores her as a little boy might adore his mother. His problem is a homicidal temper and a blatant disregard for human life, except his own and Nikki's. He kills whenever the opportunity presents itself, it seems. Her problem is she kinda likes killing these men. Neither one of these Aussie trash types is overly bright, but then neither are the cops.

Bill Bennett's story is derivative and banal but there are some witty elements. The scene in which one of the cops pretends to be kosher is funny, and the couple living on a nuclear testing site is amusing. The leg of kangaroo and the way Nikki has to get out from under the mark's dead body are nice touches. Alas, we have the ending. Bennett had a little fun with it, but his spin comes off as stupid and in sharp contrast with what proceeded it, which was mostly realistic.

Bothered by the jump-cuts? It's just a mannerism. Bennett will get over it.

This must be one of the best movies to come out of Australia for some time. The startling opening starts the gripping, atmospheric journey off to great effect and the mistrust between the main stars is both origional and interesting. The story moves at great pace due to a tight script and storyline. The jump cut editing (although not to everyones taste) is perfectly suited to a move of this kind. The suspense builds as the story twists and turns to an excellent double bluff climax. If you like tarantino movies, you'll love this!

This is the best movie I have ever seen.It seems so real it is a very deep movie and has alot of substance.After I watched it I could get it out of my head it was just so amazing and touching and real.If you have not seen this movie you have to rent it.It is a true classic with two amazing actors.