I'm a fan of the original 1948 "Kiss of Death," but not for the usual reasons. I know it was the film that made Richard Widmark a star, but why I've never been able to figure out. Widmark's performance was a pure cartoon, a Method actor's idea of what a psycho killer is. For my money, the best performance in that picture was Victor Mature's, by far the best performance of his career. Mature's quiet determination and single-mindedness overhsadows Widmark's snarling and glggling, but recognition for his first-rate performance was lost amidt the accolades for Widmark. This film has the same situation. David Caruso, in Mature's part, is quite good; in my opinion, it's the best performance of his career. Samuel L. Jackson is a New York cop who first dogs Caruso, then grows to like him, is also quite good, as is Ving Rhames as a seemingly unbalanced crime lord. Michael Rappaport is excellent as Caruso's weasely, scheming cousin who gets him in all this trouble in the first place. Nicolas Cage does what he does when he doesn't have a strong director--chews up as much scenery as he possibly can. You never really get a sense of danger from Cage's character, although he's shown doing some despicable things. The whole movie has a sterile, by-the-book feel to it. It's as faceless and impersonal as a Michael Bay movie. See if if you're interested in David Caruso; otherwise, forget it.
Review of Kiss of Death
