Director Peter O’Fallon cut his teeth on television, giving him the perfect credentials to direct this suspenseful ensemble piece in a short period of time on a very limited budget. O’Fallon’s theatrical debut is a stunning one, a high-caliber comedy-thriller that punches all the right buttons.

O’Fallon and his writers pit a team of young actors up against veteran Christopher Walken, and the chemistry is perfect. Walken plays a mob boss who has been kidnapped by a group of college-aged friends. One of the men’s sister has been kidnapped, and they need Charlie (Walken) as leverage to get her back. It’s a bold and brazen scheme. First they befriend Charlie in one of his favorite hangouts. Then they offer to show him a night on the town with “the boys.” Then they kidnap him (and almost get killed in the process), hold him hostage, and cut off his right hand pinky to make their point.

O’Fallon has recruited a handful of actors to play the friends in need, including Henry Thomas (“Legends of the Fall”) as Avery, the brother who fears for his sister’s life; Sean Patrick Flannery (“Powder”) as Max, the handsome, quiet one who was dating Avery’s sister; Jeremy Sisto (“White Squall”) as T.K., the medical student who does the actual amputation; Jay Mohr (“Jerry Maguire’) as Brett, who is determined to stick to the plan; and Johnny Galecki (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”) as Ira, the son of the owner of the house the gang is using. Ira is the only innocent in the room, believing that his friend’s asked to use the house to play cards. His reaction when he returns home with groceries is priceless.

Charlie calls his assistant Lono (Denis Leary), who is immediately on the case. What Lono finds is that it might be an inside job, a fact Charlie uses to turn the guys against each other. How all of this plays out makes for wicked fun, done in a style that’s both captivating and engaging. O’Fallon proves he can do interesting things with six people in a confined area for more than half the film. He gets great performances from everyone, and finds humor in the most unexpected places. The tech credits are exceptional, and when you listen to the alternate audio commentary, you’ll learn just how great the film looks when you consider the obstacles they encountered.

COMPLETE CHECK-UP

VISION: [ ] EXCELLENT [ X ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

Decent digital transfer is peppered with some compression artifacts, but not enough to be annoying. They appear as little white specks in some scenes in an otherwise professional transfer that features warm, nicely saturated colors, and impenetrable blacks that never waver. The flesh tones are excellent. The RSDL disc does feature a glitch when it hits the layer switch in chapter 26, freezing the frame for a millisecond. “Suicide Kings” has been transferred in it’s original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio, enhanced at 16:9 for widescreen televisions.

HEARING: [ X ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

Superior 5.1 Dolby Digital Stereo Surround. Great front to back separation, awesome basses and spine-tingling high ends. The dialogue is strong, and the haunting musical score by Graeme Revell fills the room with an eerie sense of foreboding. Crisp ambient noise and no audible hiss or distortion.

ORAL: [ ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ X ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

No closed captioned, subtitles in Spanish.

COORDINATION: [ X ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

The “Suicide Kings” DVD is truly a special edition. Artisan Entertainment has packed the following extras on the DVD:

» A running audio commentary with director Peter O’Fallon and co-producer/co-writer Wayne Rice. Like all great audio commentaries, this one was recorded while the gentlemen watched the film, so it’s not one of those wandering, aimless diatribes. Instead, the two men provide a great deal of insight into the film making process, from picking the right actors to using available resources due to a tight budget. O’Fallon and Rice clue us in to the mood on the set, the difficulties everyone in front of and behind the camera faced, plus the bond that developed between the young actors and Walken. While most writers seem over protective of their work, Rice doesn’t mind sharing credit with the actors, who improvised some of the film’s best lines. You’ll appreciate their enthusiasm.

» Two alternate endings that definitely change the tone of the film. You can watch the endings as originally intended, or with commentary by O’Fallon, who explains why he didn’t use them.

» Exciting interactive menus that become part of the total experience. The scene access menu features clips of each scene, while the main menus come alive with action and graphics. Nicely done.

» The “Tunnel Scene Tutorial,” a mini sound design lesson on how Hollywood mixes dialogue, ambient noise, music and sound effects into one solid track. During the scene, you can use your audio change button to bounce from layer to layer, and then hear it all come together in the final mix. It’s a fascinating and playful addition, and gives you just a small taste of the complexity of adding sound to a film.

» The same tunnel sequence is also used to show how storyboards are brought to life. As the scene plays on the bottom of the screen, the storyboards are shown on the top. I’ve only seen this feature on Criterion Collection DVDs, so it’s nice to see other labels using this device.

» Two theatrical trailers, with a preface by O’Fallon, who discusses the various ways the studio tried to sell the film.

» One television spot that’s quick and to the point.

» The original movie posters.

» Cast, crew and production information, with a healthy selection of cast members and behind-the-scene key figures.

» Finally, a multi-angle scene that isn’t necessarily state-of-the-art, but does allow you the opportunity to finally use the button. The original angle is the scene as it appears in the film. The alternate angle is a camera placed behind the camera crew. That way you can switch back and forth between what the camera sees, and what the crew sees. In time DVDs will feature multi-angle scenes shot exclusively for the purpose, but for now, this little addition is very welcome.

PROGNOSIS: [ X ] EXCELLENT [ ] GOOD [ ] RESUSCITATE [ ] D.O.A.

I absolutely loved “Suicide Kings.” I wouldn’t let the occasional compression artifacts deter me from adding it to my collection. It’s a great film and a terrific DVD.

VITALS: $29.99/Rated R/103 Min./Color/36 Chapter Stops/Keepcase/#60472

ATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen

PATIENT: SUICIDE KINGS-SPECIAL EDITION

BIRTH DATE: 1998

HMO: Artisan Entertainment

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