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Plot

Set amidst the eerie desolation of the Australian outback, Kiss or Kill is a superior reworking of vintage film noir materials from the veteran director Bill Bennett. Its lovers-on-the-run story focuses on Nicole (Frances O'Connor) and Al (Matt Day), a pair of petty thieves running a scam targeting married businessmen; when one of their victims accidentally dies, they flee his hotel room, absconding with his briefcase. The case contains a videotape of Zipper Doyle (Barry Langrishe), a national soccer hero, molesting a young boy; Nicole and Al soon take off for Perth, intending to blackmail Doyle -- never suspecting that he, as well as the police, are already in hot pursuit. As the two make their way across the country, they leave a trail of dead bodies in their wake; both Nicole and Al begin to suspect that the other is a murderer, and as their journey continues, their paranoia only grows. A similar feeling of mistrust and dread informs virtually every interpersonal relationship in the film, effectively gnawing at our own perceptions and expectations; a stylistically aggressive picture, brimming with jump cuts and inventive camera work, its distinctive take on the noir tradition is fresh and exciting.
MPAA Rating:
R for some graphic sexuality, violence and language.
Genre(s):
Action,Foreign
Run Time:
95min.
Theatrical Release Date:
11/14/1997
Distributor(s):
October Films
Director(s):
Themes:
Crime Sprees,Haunted By the Past,Lovers on the Lam
Tone:
Angry,Lurid,Bleak,Forceful,Tense,Confrontational,Cynical,Sexy,Disturbing
Keywords:
Outback,blackmail,crime-spree,incrimination,on-the-run,police,pursuit,video-tape
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