Kill and Kill Again

John Dahl, the director behind Red Rock West and The Last Seduction, is the director and cowriter of Kill Me Again, and it shows. Dahl's love of modern noir, ruthless women, Western landscapes, and double-crosses shines through. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer plays Fay, a spitfire who has somehow gotten herself mixed up with a psychotic thug (Michael Madsen, of course) named Vince. Fay runs off with a whole lot of Vince's stolen money and hires loser private eye Jack Andrews (Val Kilmer) to help her fake her own death. To say any more would spoil a terrific, intricate plot that keeps heating up as interested parties close in on Jack, Fay, and the money. The then-married Kilmer and Whalley-Kilmer clearly have a great time playing off each other, and Madsen adds another brilliantly played lunatic to his oeuvre. Enjoy it, and don't trust anybody. --Ali Davis