A Kiss Before Dying (1991)

A Kiss Before Dying neo-noir film that was a remake of the 1956 film of the same title.It stars Matt Dillon,Sean Young,Diane Ladd and Max von Sydow.The film was written and directed by James Dearden,who based it on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin.The story focuses on Jonathan Corliss,who is a poor college student with aspirations of wealth. Since childhood he has been obsessed with the fortunes of a company called Carlsson Copper. While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he plans to ingratiate himself with the wealthy family of magnate Thor Carlsson and has begun secretly dating Carlsson's daughter Dorothy. When Dorothy learns that she's pregnant, she informs Jonathan that she'll be cut off without her inheritance when her father learns the truth. Jonathan decides to murder her, and makes it look like a suicide; then he moves to New York. There, he makes the acquaintance of Ellen Carlsson,the late Dorothy's twin sister, and begins courting her.This time he is more successful, winning Ellen's hand in marriage and a powerful position in his new father-in-law's company. However, Ellen has long been suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her twin's death, and she probes deeper into the supposed suicide. She uncovers alarming facts about some other murders and the identity of her sister's unknown lover.Although the performances of Dillon,Ladd and von Sydow should be given merit,the same could not be said of Young in her dual role as Dorothy and Ellen.Aside from that,the movie lacks suspense all throughout as the filmmakers weren't able to transfer the tension-filled story on screen.In the end,the 1991 remake fails to live up to the greatness of the 1956 movie.

If you're a Matt Dillon fan, or have a curiosity about the dark side of human nature, then you'll enjoy this movie. The biggest problem with this film is there are way too many coincidences. Also, some parts are downright unbelievable. Here are some of the holes: The first murder: it's hard to believe that if you murder someone on the rooftop of a high-rise building that someone from a nearby building wouldn't have seen anything and reported it to the police. Why wouldn't the cops check for prints on the victim's shoes or purse? Why wouldn't they take a DNA sample from the fetus in order to determine the father of the unborn child? The second murder: what did Jonathan do with Jay's body? Why wouldn't the cops check for prints on Jay's car? Why wouldn't millionaire Carlsson have investigated the background of "Jay Farraday" and discovered discrepancies with Jonathan's alter-ego? The third murder: how could the killer work in New York, but find the exact moment to follow his girlfriend to Philadephia? How was he able to see what kind of car the murder victim was driving, and then go back to his own car so that he could follow him to his apartment? The fourth murder: the detective traced the victim's call to the killer's phone and could have seen how many minutes they spoke, yet did not ask for the killer's alibi. Dorothy just happened to be listening when her old acquaintance's murder was announced on the radio. Wouldn't the killer have been smart enough to weigh down the suitcase with the sliced up body and wrap it up so that it wouldn't come open in the ocean? He had an incinerator in his building. Why wouldn't he use it? The worst coincidences: the killer could murder a sister, then go to her identical twin and have her fall in love with him and marry him. What are the odds in a city of 7 million people and thousands of restaurants of Jonathan/Jay running into a former co-worker from another city at the same time that he had Dorothy with him (a rarity in itself)?

Poor Sean Young. Once upon a time she was an actress with such a bright future, poised, seemingly, for great stardom. She even had a quality that recalled some of the glamour and allure of the 40's and 50's. Put to good use in such films as "Blade Runner" and "No Way Out", there seemed nearly no end in sight. And then her "difficult" personality got in the way and Oliver Stone fired her from "Wall Street", in which she was to have a major part; then her alleged relationship with former co-star James Woods, and subsequent "Fatal Attraction"-style antics against him, in addition to her amusingly disturbing all-out efforts to snag the role of 'Catwoman' in the first sequel to "Batman", seemed to have a snowball effect, effectively curtailing her trajectory and reducing her to such projects as "Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde" and numerous direct-to-cable/video duds. While "A Kiss Before Dying" has a much better pedigree than "Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde" ever could, thanks in part to being based on a solid, little Ira Levin book and blessed with at least two respected actors (Diane Ladd and Max Von Sydow), it, too, is a near-total failure, and Sean Young is, sadly, a major factor as to 'why'. With a strong director and viable material, she has proved to be a good actor and oddly charismatic, even when the film didn't warrant it (see "Blade Runner"). She was never a GREAT actress, mind you, but had an unmistakable appeal. Here, however, even that appeal seems gone, for nothing can disguise her sleepwalking performance in a dual role as twins, one of whom is murdered (her death scene is brutal), the other of whom decides to investigate the death, never believing it was the suicide it was assumed to be. Soon after her investigation begins, she meets the man who, unbeknownst to her, murdered her sister. This man is played by Matt Dillon, who is supposed to be charming, seductive, secretive, elusive, and ruthless. While one can easily imagine an actor as physically pretty as Robert Wagner - he wasn't just 'handsome', he was 'pretty', let's face it - Matt Dillon is simply wrong, in every manner, for this part. Totally miscast, he is neither particularly charming nor seductive, and seemingly unable to register the ruthlessness and danger the part calls for. His thick, New York accent is also a distraction, at least in this role. That he and Young have absolutely no chemistry doesn't help matters any, making yet another major quibble a minor one: both seem a bit too old. In supporting roles, as Dillon's mother and Young's father, Diane Ladd and Max Von Sydow provide much-needed class to the potboiler/neo-noir proceedings, though Ladd comes off more successfully; Von Sydow is utterly wasted. ANY actor could have done his role - why choose someone SO spectacularly talented for such a thankless part? As for the screenplay, though based on the book, it seems to be stuffed with every cliché from every modern-day thriller, right down to the routine and predictable climax (apparently reshot after test audiences didn't approve) and the pointless, if limited, sex scenes, which might titillate some (thanks to mild nudity) but do nothing to further the plot or add to the tension. The direction, too, is at fault: since everything here is something you've seen before (and in much better films), and nearly each moment is telegraphed well in advance, there are practically zero chills or thrills to be had. Strong actors may have been able to smooth over these problems, but again, the film is done no service by its leads, particularly Young, who is plain AWFUL. It surely stands with Demi Moore in "The Scarlet Letter" and Elizabeth Berkley in "Showgirls" as being one of THE worst performances in a major motion picture - and, perhaps, even WORSE because Young is playing TWO parts. She rightfully won her 2 Razzies (for Worst Actress and Supporting Actress). But, as said, Dillon's not too much better. A little bit but not much. HIS line readings, at least, don't suggest a coma. Unfortunately, for the audience, a coma might just be preferable to sitting through this lot.

The large part of the fun of watching A Kiss Before Dying is looking out for the number of Hitchcock movie moments the film is paying tribute to: from Psycho's shower shots and the lonesome mother's house our Norman Bates has escaped from, to the bleaching of the heroine and taking the Kim Novak role a la Vertigo with possibly lethal consequences. I was hugely amused and never mind the creaking plot. On a technical level, I loved the Technicolor hue of the film, very Hitchcock period too. I'm not sure why the lead actress, Sean Young, got a double Razzie award for her dual role. It seems undeserved. I'm sure there must have been far worse performances in 1991 to choose from.