Suicide Kings

Directed by Peter O’Fallon, Suicide Kings details the violence that unfolds after a group of friends, including Henry Thomas’ Avery, Jay Mohr’s Brett, and Jeremy Sisto’s T.K.) kidnap a powerful and respected mafia figure (Christopher Walken’s Charlie Barret). It’s a potentially electrifying premise that is, virtually from the word go, employed to lackluster and interminable effect by O’Fallon, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Josh McKinney, Gina Goldman, and Wayne Rice, delivers a perpetually grating endeavor that only grows less and less interesting (and more and more annoying) as it progresses – with the arms-length atmosphere heightened by a recurring emphasis on the less-than-likeable characters’ bickering and squabbles. The absence of engaging, ingratiating attributes paves the way for a seriously stagnant midsection that feels almost insanely padded out, and while O’Fallon has admittedly elicited a fun performance by Walken, Suicide Kings’ stagy, repetitive vibe effectively cancels out its few positive elements and confirms its place as a misguided (and justifiably obscure) disaster.

* out of ****