Even to this day, it's regrettable that the film noir tradition had to die out at the end of the fifties; but all is not quite lost, as since the release of Chinatown in 1974, there has been a steady stream of 'neo-noir' thrillers being released, and while generally not as good as their ancestral counterparts; they usually make for decent films. Kill Me Again is one such thriller; that, while suffering from a number of problems, does a good job in reminding us film fans of the classics from the forties and fifties by creating a good noir atmosphere, which is fused with a typical noir plot line. The film that it takes the most influence from definitely seems to be Billy Wilder's classic "Double Indemnity", as it follows themes of a man being dragged into a plot by a woman and death for profit. The plot follows a woman who escapes her jealous boyfriend after the pair steals over eight hundred grand from some mobsters. He isn't too pleased about her taking his cash, however, and despite her efforts of hiding by hiring a private detective to fake her death; jealous boyfriend remains on her tail.

The film starts off well - the plot is set up nicely, and hints at a thrilling ride to come. The middle, too, is well done and remains thrilling while taking in the familiar noir elements. It's the ending that really, really lets the film down, however. The ending is probably the most important part for any film - as it is this that is going to stay in the audience's mind after the credits role; but the filmmakers here haven't realised that. The twist is one the most clear cut cases of having a twist in the film just for the sake of having one. It makes absolutely no sense given what has gone before, and this is matched by the abrupt ending that follows straight after. And then, just so it gets a little bit worse; we get 'treated' to a sappy final conclusion. To it's credit, the cast does well; with Val Kilmer taking the starring role. I'm not a massive fan of this guy, but he usually performs well, and he looks the part here. He is joined by his then-wife, Joanne Whalley and the always excellent Michael Madsen tops off the central trio. It's always great to see Madsen in films, and the role here is an obvious prelude to his career making performance in Reservoir Dogs. Overall, this isn't an essential film - but it's good up until the ending, and I enjoyed it so it gets a thumbs up on the whole.

Joanne Whaley is a deceitful slut in this complicated neonoir thriller, and Val Kilmer is the private eye she manages to suck into her scheme to steal money from Michael Madsen who has just stolen it from the Mafia. There are multiple murders along the way. In the end everybody gets dead except for Kilmer who makes off with the entire stash. I don't know why the plot let him get away, because he's done all kinds of illegal stuff and proved himself as untrustworthy as anyone else. But the narrative has established him as just about the only sympathetic character in the movie -- his wife recently died in a drowning, for instance.

The natural locations around Lake Mead are splayed out across the screen in gorgeous color. You really want to dive into the electric blue of that man-made lake. Urban settings are less well realized.

The story line is involved and not very plausible. This babe, Whaley, conks Michael Madsen over the head with a rock while he's at the urinal, which is among other things very bad manners. What's she doing in the men's room anyway? What kind of a movie IS this? After Whaley and Kilmer have been together for a while, Madsen finally catches up to them, threatens and beats Kilmer, and rapes Whaley who manages to find a gun and appears to shoot Madsen multiorgasmically. But no! Madsen shows up for the climax of the film and he and Whaley fall into each other's arms and laugh. I guess he's forgotten about getting bashed in the urinal. And I guess he's still alive because Kilmer didn't bother to check and see if Whaley had REALLY shot him after being raped. Are you following this? Good, because I couldn't. Oh -- and I also must have missed the part in which Kilmer gets to take the money out of the attache case and fill the case with junk, including a can of Spam. In fact -- well, okay, I admit it. I lost track of the money per se once or twice during the film. I'm also not certain why we are left to assume that, at the end, Kilmer can be presumed to be safe from both the Mafia and the police. I'm sure there's some reason because I am a mechanical determinist.

Performances. Whaley is suitably sluttish and very yummy. She looks a little and acts a lot like Natalie Wood and is about the same size. I rather liked her appearance -- that saucy ever-jiggling bosom, those big dark eyes looking outward in two slightly different directions.

Whatever "charisma" means, Val Kilmer hasn't got it here. He recites his lines as if reading them from a cue card on an afternoon drama. There is no animation in his delivery or his movement. He seems bored by having to speak. And he has prissy good looks that are repugnant. But, man, did he come awake for some roles in later movies, doing for instance a splendid job in "Heat." But here he seems to be playing his instrument with a mute.

Poor Michael Madsen, a nice guy in real life apparently. But if you've seen "Reservoir Dogs," you know what he's like here, slavering over the prospect of torturing bound prisoners with lighted cigarettes, automatics, a hunting knife, a baseball bat. Sometimes he switches from one application to another in the middle of a schtick.

I was kind of in the mood for it and was pretty much disappointed by it, but I can see why someone in a less demanding mood might enjoy it. It doesn't really seem to deserve much applause.

"Kill Me Again" is a highly enjoyable action packed neo-noir thriller featuring a group of characters who are all thoroughly untrustworthy and a plot that's full of twists, double crosses and deception. This was the first movie directed by the talented John Dahl (who later made the brilliant "Red Rock West") and possibly it's for this reason that it didn't gain the box office success that it clearly merited.

After Fay Forrester (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) and Vince Miller (Michael Madsen) steal a large sum of money from a couple of mobsters, Fay takes an opportunity to hit Vince over the head with a stone and leaves him unconscious when she makes off with all the cash. Vince is a psychopathic killer and Fay is justifiably terrified of what'll happen if he catches up with her. She makes her way to Reno and there hires private investigator Jack Andrews (Val Kilmer) to help her fake her own death.

Jack's life has been in turmoil since the car accident in which his wife was killed and he's also deeply in debt to a violent gang of criminals who broke one of his fingers to show that they meant business when they said that they wanted his loan repayments made on time. Jack has serious doubts about taking the job but decides to go ahead anyway because of his desperate financial problems.

Jack makes a good job of faking Fay's death and even becomes the murder suspect but Fay then disappears before paying him his full fee. He decides to go after her but when Vince discovers that's she's still alive, things get desperately dangerous for Jack and he finds himself being pursued simultaneously by Vince, the police and the criminals.

Joanne Whalley-Kilmer puts great energy and enthusiasm into her portrayal of the treacherous and seductive femme fatale and Val Kilmer successfully conveys the aimless and apathetic state of mind which has overtaken Jack since the tragic loss of his wife. Michael Madsen steals the show, however, as the incredibly brutal and seemingly unstoppable Vince.

No-one would describe "Kill Me Again" as ground breaking but it is extremely exciting and wonderful entertainment for anyone who loves film noir.