A lot of early twists and turns in the identities and motivations of the characters makes this a fun outing. Bruce Willis is equally adept at both comedy and drama, and he was a perfect casting choice as a foil for Matthew Perry's cluelessness about mob hits and his own wife's predilection for murder. When Oz's (Perry) dental assistant Jill (Amanda Peet) came out of the closet as a would be assassin in training, it added a whole new dimension to the story. Her chemistry with Willis was a whole lot better though than Perry and Natasha Henstridge as a couple. Even when it worked out at the end of the story it didn't work, if you know what I mean.
I was a little disappointed with Kevin Pollack in the role of gangster Janni Gogolak, he didn't seem to exhibit any charisma for a mob boss. Pacino or De Niro might have worked better, but it looked like enough payroll was tied up with the other principals. The tip off for me that The Tulip (Willis) was going to whack Frankie Figs (Michael Clarke Duncan) instead of his new pal Oz was when Frankie shook his head and rolled his eyes when Jimmy talked him down from killing Oz on the boat ride. I got a kick out of the sight gag of the Miller Genuine Draft going over the side right after Frankie Figs did. Matthew Perry's deadpan clueless reactions can be quite hysterical.
Hey, it's not high drama and that's not the reason to tune in to this flick. Willis and Perry have good chemistry, and the picture compares favorably with other assassin-comedies like "Grosse Pointe Blank", "You Kill Me" and the two "Red's". At just a little over an hour and a half, it won't kill you.
I was a little disappointed with Kevin Pollack in the role of gangster Janni Gogolak, he didn't seem to exhibit any charisma for a mob boss. Pacino or De Niro might have worked better, but it looked like enough payroll was tied up with the other principals. The tip off for me that The Tulip (Willis) was going to whack Frankie Figs (Michael Clarke Duncan) instead of his new pal Oz was when Frankie shook his head and rolled his eyes when Jimmy talked him down from killing Oz on the boat ride. I got a kick out of the sight gag of the Miller Genuine Draft going over the side right after Frankie Figs did. Matthew Perry's deadpan clueless reactions can be quite hysterical.
Hey, it's not high drama and that's not the reason to tune in to this flick. Willis and Perry have good chemistry, and the picture compares favorably with other assassin-comedies like "Grosse Pointe Blank", "You Kill Me" and the two "Red's". At just a little over an hour and a half, it won't kill you.