Review of Quick Change (1990) by Tim W — 20 Apr 2004

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Sometimes there are movies that slip through the cracks or are panned by critics and ignored by audiences that strike a chord with me. Two of them are reviewed above. Kiss of Death was supposed to be David Caruso's big break into movies. It came out in the spring of 1995 and flopped. He had one more shot with Jade in the fall of that year. It flopped even worse. But neither were bad movies. Kiss of Death is a great crime story and boasts a knockout Nicolas Cage performance. David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson, Stanley Tucci, Helen Hunt, Michael Rapaport and Ving Rhames all turn in strong performances. The story twists and turns and does not always go in the directions you think it will. I saw this movie for the first time in 96 or 97 on TV and I loved it. After two more viewings I did not see it for a long time and my memory of it faded. But seeing it again after such a long time I realize that it was improbably great yet again. It barely rates a 10.....its more like a 9.5 which earns the last .5 for its ability to hang on. [/size][/font].

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[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Jade is not a triumph. But it is a flashy, trashy sex thriller that is just compulsively watchable. Its ending comes out of left field but it works and serves as a fitting finale to a decent flick. [/size][/font].

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[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Quick Change came out in the summer of 1990 and was met with indifference by movie audiences. It didnt flop but was not a hit. It got lost in the melee of summer movies that included Total Recall, Ghost and Die Hard 2. [/size][/font].

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[font=Times New Roman][size=4]But its hilarious. It is one of the quintessential "New York" movies. Bill Murray is hilarious, Geena Davis is quirky and appealing and Randy Quaid is only slightly annoying. There are so many funny bits in this movie, like the old woman in the abandoned corner of the Bronx screaming "Flores!!!! Flores por los muertos!!!" Tony Shalhoub shows up as a Middle Eastern cab driver. Jason Robards is the grizzled police investigator, Kurtwood Smith is Ed Crane. He has one of the funniest lines in a movie filled with great lines. This movie is more like an 8.5 but its just not close enough to the 9 to give in. [/size][/font].

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[font=Times New Roman][size=4]None of these three are even available on DVD. I want to start a campaign to bring Kiss of Death and Quick Change to DVD. Jade I could do without. If it comes on TV, I'll watch it for a few. I like the scene where Angie Everhart gets leveled by the car. Pretty well done. [/size][/font].

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