DVD Review: Kiss Me Deadly

Movie Info:
Writer: George Schenck
Director: Ron Oliver
Cast: Shannen Doherty, John Rhys-Davies, Robert Gant
Rating: R
Studio: Liberation Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.49

here! is known for being the very first GLBT television network. If you’re looking for gay themed movies and shows then you’ve come to the right place. I could say the same if you’re looking for the former girls of Beverly Hills 90210. Shannen Doherty stars in this film and I recently reviewed Kiss the Bride, a movie that Tori Spelling had a starring role in. The good news is that despite being somewhat unoriginal in terms of content, Kiss me Deadly offers some recognizable faces, fairly good acting, and a decent enough story that deserves to be seen at least once.

The reason that I say that the story is unoriginal is because it takes a vein along the same style of movie as your typical Bourne flick. Things are switched around a little, but Kiss Me Deadly is your basic ‘someone wants me dead even though I don’t know who they are or why they want to kill me’ film. The difference is that the male lead is not the one with memory issues.

He is still the hero of the film, just not the one with problems remembering things. He knows what’s going on throughout the film. The other difference is that this male lead is very gay. He should be well known for the majority of fans of homosexual films, considering that he had a starring role on Queer as Folk. Robert Gant, who played Professor Ben Bruckner on the hit television show also plays the lead in Kiss Me Deadly, Jacob Keane.

I enjoyed watching this movie. The acting was not bad. Perhaps I can say that because Shannen Doherty never did bother me much and I have always enjoyed watching Robert Gant. The combination of the two actors worked out well, in my opinion. While I was immediately weary of anything made by Liberation Entertainment thanks to the release of Kiss the Bride, I decided to give this one a shot and I am glad that I did. It offers elements of a television feel though it’s one that is more cable worthy as opposed to something offering the cheese factor of say a Lifetime movie.

There are plenty of good scenes in this film, still some things don’t feel like they mesh up with what is going on. One thing that struck me as funny was the bathhouse scene. They tried to make this as logical as possible, though I couldn’t help but get the feeling that the movie wasn’t gay enough so the director needed to throw in something stereotypical like a naked bathhouse full of men.

I’m not really complaining mind you, I just think it was amusing that this one scene was added into this particular movie. Jonathan Rhys-Davies, another well known actor stars in this action packed flick. If you enjoy action movies you will enjoy this one. It’s not the most original plot, but what do you expect? This is television, after all.

The Kiss Me Deadly Plot
In order to set the spy scene, the film opens in Berlin with three agents, Jacob Keane (Gant), Marta (Doherty), and Jared (Fraser Brown) who are involved in a mission that goes completely wrong. Flash forward years later where Jacob has become a photographer, he’s got a boyfriend, a daughter, and seems to be doing well now that he’s not in the spy game. Unfortunately, for him, his world is about to be turned upside down when he receives a message from Marta after all these years.

Marta leaves a message on his machine and asks to meet him and as she sounds like she’s in a bad way he decides to go meet her. Once he finally meets Marta at the airport he discovers that she has been followed and that she doesn’t seem to have her memory intact. She doesn’t know why anyone wants to kill her though it’s pretty obvious they do.

This means that it is up to Jacob to protect Marta and save both of their lives, while she tries to remember what it is that could make anyone mad enough to want to kill her. It’s a cat and mouse thriller that involves a lot of action, chase scenes, and a mystery that needs to be solved or someone is going to end up getting seriously hurt.

One of the things that I found slightly disappointing was the role that the spy agency (the one the main characters worked for) played in the whole thing. It did not seem overly urgent that they be involved. They were there, but that was about it. This was probably one of the few things that I would have changed about this film. Otherwise, it was well worth watching, offering a decent amount of suspense and plenty of convincing actors.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for Kiss Me Deadly comes out looking crisp and clean throughout the film. Shot with digital cameras, the film is available in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The colors are clear and bright, when the need calls for it. The action scenes are well shot and come through beautifully. The film looks great considering the fact that it is a television production and this usually offers a slightly lesser quality.

The audio for Kiss Me Deadly comes in either Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0. Naturally the most dynamic choice is going to be 5.1. Had this been an average movie and not been action oriented I would have said either would be acceptable. However, 5.1 offers a certain dynamic appeal from which an action movie can benefit. The same cannot be said for 2.0. The dialogue is consistent with the action sequences so volume toggling is not an issue. Everything sounds great and is of equal quality as the video, which makes for an enjoyable viewing experience.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Ron Oliver kicks off the light bonus section with a pretty decent commentary. Fans of this movie or people wishing to learn about the moviemaking process will definitely benefit from checking this commentary out. Oliver talks about all aspects of the filmmaking process. He looks at everything from casting on down the line, so you won’t want to miss the opportunity to listen to this.

A behind the scenes featurette, “Backlot” offers some interviews from the cast about the film, the working process (how well everyone worked together), and general film tidbits. It was a satisfying behind the scenes peek of at the film. Other than that the only thing available in this section is a standard trailer.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
If you like movies with gay male leads then this is going to be right up your alley. Kiss Me Deadly could easily be the first of many movies with Jacob Keane in the lead. Hopefully, the minor kinks would be ironed out of future movies, but for a first time television movie this one was pretty good. Just to be sure it’s something you will enjoy I would recommend renting it first, though you will probably end up purchasing it, if you feel it’s interesting enough to rent in the first place.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: DVD, Kiss Me Deadly, Liberation Entertainment, Shannen Doherty, John Rhys-Davies, Robert Gant, Action Film, Spy, Movie Review, Film Review

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.