“It isn’t that I’m sorry I killed them, it’s that I’m sorry I killed them badly.”

Anthony’s rating: Great way to “kill” some time! (budum-tss!)

Anthony’s review: What a weird experience is it to watch You Kill Me. No flashy star, no provocative visuals of blood or anything remotely disgusting, no torrid love scene between the romantic leads, and no true action. Yet it is one of the more enjoyable and entertaining films I’ve seen in a while.

Mind you, my expectations were slightly in the gutters for this one. No disrespect to headliner Ben Kingsley but he has his share of purely-paycheck roles that even Nic Cage would find hard to explain. Don’t get me wrong, I thought his turn as Trevor Slattery in the MCU was comedic genius (oh boo yourselves!), but again, not a role you’d expect from the guy who portrayed Gandhi.

The dark comedy follows hitman Frank Falencsyk (Sir Ben Kingsley), an enforcer for a low-level mob gang in Buffalo (yes, Buffalo — I didn’t know they had mobsters there but then again I’m Canadian so whaddaIknow). When Frank snores through a crucial hit because of his bad drinking habit, he’s given no choice but to go away for a while to Nowhere Town AND join the AA, ultimately finding himself on a strange journey to redemption. It’s one that includes a mortuary party, a quasi-naked threat to a mayor, and surprisingly supportive lady friend.

The comedy of You Kill Me doesn’t so much provoke belly laughs as it does a constant grin at the clever writing and unusual acting. A drunk hitman attending AA meetings could easily make a film tilt into either tasteless farce or just plain creepy fare, but casting makes the film work on a very special level. It’s one where you actually hope Frank will achieve his goal of sobriety in order to go back to killing people efficiently. You’re a drawn to the hero’s journey while not knowing where he’ll actually end up. It takes quite an actor to pull that one off. Only other time such a thing comes to mind is Dexter, where you literally root for a serial killer to perpetrate his murders with great success.

As for the love interest, never does the straight-faced Tea Leoni display the tired “I’M NOT A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS OKAY?” syndrome that so many other actresses would have, but instead acts like a genuine and natural new girlfriend, one who takes interest in her man’s job and talents, peculiar as they may be. Not to brag, but I first crushed on her back when she was an unknown leading a short-lived sitcom called The Naked Truth.

Kudos as well to Luke Wilson, who brings his lovable — if expected — nice-guy-next-door charisma and Bill Pullman in a surprisingly nuanced turn for a part normally reserved to character actors given no further direction then “Just do what you did in your last 12 movies!”

The short running time is quite perfect to avoid a boring and over-drawn movie, but it still feels like some of the situations and supporting characters could’ve benefited a little bit more development. It’s as if the writers were focusing on moving the script along, sacrificing a little research and depth along the way. Still, Sir Ben makes you forget about all that with his priceless reactions to some awkward moments.

You Kill Me is far from the kind of entertainment mass audiences are usually looking for, and never resembles the kind of film you’d pay today’s gargantuan ticket prices to see on a big screen. But it’s still surprisingly accessible for such a story line and characters, and I found myself not once looking at the perpetual game of cribbage I keep running on second screen when watching a film. It ultimately feels like a Robert Benton movie written by Joe Carnahan. A romantic comedy for GUYS, if you will, and I’m there for that!

Side Note: Did you know the dude who plays Hob Gadling in Sandman and George Wilkins in Silo is Sir Ben Kingley’s son? MIND BLOWN, right?