Kill Me Again (1989) (2024)

Popular reviews

• Review by Ian West ★★★★ 2

  Rock solid Nevada Noir from Dahl, doing what he does best—a nifty thriller containing all the beats I’d want out of this kind of picture.... throwing a lot at the wall and most of it sticks. Kind of a precursor to the early 90’s crime thriller and definitely an entertaining late night gem.

• Review by pirateneckbeard ★★★ 7

  It's been so long since I have seen this and it is Noirvember so I had to dip my toe(tag?) back into these frigid detective waters and hope I don't succumb to a femme fatality in this acrid portrayal of this dry landscape that is Nevada.
  It's not as dark as "The Last Seduction" and feels more traditional then said film but Dahl really makes a meal of this and it's hard to not be entertained by this minimal budgeted neonoir. Kilmer is solid and Madison is just a great S.O.B. giving some solid A-hole responses that he delivers so well with his squinty eyed look that he does so well. Joanne Whalley portrays her self centered cruel role so…

• Review by Scott R ★★★½

  (Neo) Noirvember 2024 - #3
  
  “Vince killed one of them, it was awful! so we took the money and then we took off...”

  John Dahl is the master of the Neo-noir spliced in with the western, as seen in the absolute wild crime Nic Cage/Dennis Hopper mood piece Red Rock West! I guess lightning does strike twice because this one is solid precursor to that film.

  Some Sinister Act 3 Spoilers Ahead 🕵🏼‍♂️ (limited)

  This is a crazy noir crime ridden violent hell of a ride y’all. The movie wastes absolutely no time, so buckle up lol. Like boom!! holy fucking blood squibs! Interestingly it’s much more violent than Red Rock West is. But we fine with that, right?! 😈…

• Review by Burrows ★★★½ 1

  Like RED ROCK WEST, KILL ME AGAIN is a fun little aside that dipsy-doodles through the conventions of the mystery-noir genre. All the reliable cliches are present:

  * Gorgeous bitch/sweetheart of a femme fatale
  * Private Eye deep in personal debt
  * Briefcase of money
  * Pissed of double-crossed mobsters
  * Michael Madsen's serene-moving, unruffled thug

  All cliches. All very standard small-budget, story-based staples. The film, ultimately, should be very ordinary, but it isn't. John Dahl's early work are tightly-paced little character thrillers that aren't deep or sophisticated, but whole-heartedly follow and trust their scripts devotedly.

  Dahl doesn't get sidetracked by depth of subplot, theme, character backgrounds, or excessive visuals. His mastery lies in the plumbing each scene for its…

• Review by Ziglet_mir ★★½ 4

  John Dahl strikes again with his heavy, expressionistic Neo-noir style. He paints the Nevada/Arizona dessert with lush colors that mesmerize, like dangling a diamond before our eyes. Beyond Dahl’s direction, the casting is top notch: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, Michael Madsen, and Jon Gries. Madsen especially makes you hate him so fast it’ll make your head spin. You’ve barely kept up with the gnarly plot and you get distracted by his cool bad boy greatness. Kilmer and (then wife) Joanne Whalley are decent as an updated Bonnie and Clyde type, though with some exceptions. Character decisions begin to get questionable halfway through. Dahl’s hand in the script shows his deep affection for the complicated noir web of intrigue and deception…

• Review by Justin LaLiberty ★★★★

  Nobody does this better than John Dahl. Nobody can trash a room like Michael Madsen.

• Review by Stephen M ★★★½ 5

  First feature by John Dahl, sets the prototype for many of his subsequent neo-noirs, the genre he's best known for. It's well-done though the story's been done again and again. A sexy mysterious woman engages a private eye and there's more to her story than she lets on. Namely a suitcase full of stolen money, double- and triple-crossings, a hideout in the Nevada desert and soon they’re a fugitive couple fleeing the cops, the mob, loan sharks and a violent killer/boyfriend.

  Val Kilmer plays Jack Andrews the private detective. I only know him from playing Jim Morrison in The Doors, but he's good here in an understated way. Much of the film he's being duped by the seductive Fay (Joanne…

• Review by 🇵🇱 Steve G 🐝 ★★★½ 2

  The cat version of this has seven sequels.

  On something of a whim I decided I was going to rewatch John Dahl's debut trio of neo-noirs, regarded by many as the best films in his career (although I am a big fan of Joy Ride and I haven't seen Rounders yet), and quite possibly the three films which started me off when it came to watching neo-noirs.

  I haven't seen Kill Me Again, Red Rock West or The Last Seduction since my university days, but there was a splendid period of neo-noirs produced around about the time these were made. I remember watching loads of this sort of thing back then - the likes of Kalifornia, Romeo Is Bleeding, Devil…

• Review by matt lynch ★★★½

  I miss this John Dahl. Discussed on Episode 17 of The Suspense is Killing Us.

• Review by Katie Walsh

  I really enjoyed this chunky slice of neo-noir (it's not even neo... it's just noir, but in the '80s). Joanne Whalley is so good, plus there are some fun "Thelma & Louise" vibes. A good candidate to be re-discovered by Film Twitter.

  note: there is a wild wig continuity error that I am mentioning here to remind myself for later.

• Review by Molly Laich ★★★★

  More like Val Kill Me Again am I right

• Review by Cinemonster ★★★★ 2

  Tight and twisty little noir from first timer John Dahl. Compelling from the get-go, with a pitch perfect cast.

  God, I miss John Dahl. He and James Foley should have made Noir films, forever. Great locations.

  As an aside: regardless of the quality of the source material, Dahl can shoot the hell out of anything.