Kill Me Later (2001)
Directed by Dana Lustig
Written by Dana Lustig
Starring Selma Blair, Max Beesley, Brendan Fehr
Release Date September 14th, 2001
Published June 3rd, 2002
Actor Max Beesley is a very well respected dramatic actor and sex symbol in his home country of England. Sadly, here in the U.S., Beesley is best known as Mariah Carey's love interest in the horrendous flop Glitter. Beesley may never live that one down, in America anyway, but he is doing what he can to put it behind him and the straight-to-video feature Kill Me Later, co-starring Selma Blair, is a good start on his redemption tour.
Beesley is Charlie, a drummer who turns to bank robbery as a way of providing a future for a young daughter he has never known. Selma Blair is Shawn, a bank teller in a bad relationship with her married boss played by D.W Moffett. After her boss spends the night and explains that he has no intention of leaving his wife or having children, Shawn contemplates suicide.
Shawn isn't considering suicide because of her jerk boss, but rather her personal embarrassment over getting involved with him at all. Charlie and Shawn's paths cross when Charlie and his crew rob the bank where Shawn works as a loan officer. The robbery may have come off without a hitch if Shawn hadn't been on the roof thinking of jumping, thus causing a neighbor to call the police who accidentally interrupt the robbery.
Charlie keeps Shawn from jumping and takes her hostage. Of course it's not that simple. Being suicidal, Shawn doesn't make for a very good hostage. Charlie cuts her a deal; if she cooperates he promises he will kill her later. It doesn't take a genius to figure where the story is going from here, of course they fall in love and are chased by cops and various other contrived drama about the money and the cops.
What sets Kill Me Later apart from other similar films is director Dana Lustig, who employ's stylish camera movements, music video style editing and lighting to make for a visually interesting film. My favorite technical innovation was the editing. While not groundbreaking, Lustig and her team employ a quick cutting style of shots that last no more than 10 to 15 seconds. Especially effective are the tight close-ups of Blair, backed by bright lighting against her pale skin accentuating her beautiful eyes and jet-black locks.
Selma Blair truly shines as a misanthrope whose hatred of the people around her is only surpassed by her own self-hatred. Blair is wonderful, communicating an innate intelligence and deep sadness with her gorgeous brown eyes. Beesley, for his part, is charming and magnetic. The camera loves him. In Glitter he was flat as a board. Here he shows that if the material is good he can be great.
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