Patrick Swayze stars in this action crime drama as a Chicago cop from the south avenging the death of his brother. So the plot is pretty basic, so what, it is still an enjoyable action/crime-drama. The cast was very good in this film, which includes Liam Neeson, Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Adam Baldwin, and even Ben Stiller in a smaller role. The action was pretty good too, especially the chase on top of the train. The film also used its Chicago locations very well, which is something I like in movies. The film has a few faults, including an extremely predictable ending. But aside from that its a fun film for action fans. 3.5/5
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shakey_jake5316 May 2003
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bkoganbing10 January 2010Shot on location in Chicago, Next Of Kin is about a culture clash between two groups that are known for longstanding vendettas. They would be the Sicilian Mafia and the hillbillies of the Appalachians.
Patrick Swayze is one of three brothers of whom the youngest, Bill Paxton, is killed after organized crime takes over a trucking firm he was a driver for. They killed the wrong guy because in addition to being Paxton's brother, Swayze is also a Chicago police detective.
Of course Swayze has to operate within the parameters of the law. That's not the case for the oldest brother Lian Neeson. He comes to Chicago just looking for them that did the deed.
Andreas Katsulas is the Mafia crime family head and he's got an idiot son played by Ben Stiller whom he turns over to enforcer Adam Baldwin to learn the business. Stiller goes right to the top of the criminal food chain with Baldwin when he and Baldwin kill Paxton. But Baldwin is a survivor and he'll do whatever it takes to survive.
The showdown between hillbillies and Mafioso takes place with a cemetery at night serving as the OK Corral. It's quite a battle and justice is served if not the law.
Next Of Kin is your routine action film, but it does have one thing going for it that I have to praise. The hillbillies are real people here, they're not the Clampetts of Beverly Hills nor the mouth breathers from Deliverance. I'm glad that the producers avoided stereotyping them which would have been easy. Swayze is a good action hero and his leading lady is Helen Hunt who as Mrs. Swayze in the film is not given all that much to do.
Fans of the late Patrick Swayze will be very happy with Next Of Kin. -
sol121816 March 2005***SPOILERS*** The murder of young Gerald Gates, Bill Paxton, by the up and coming rookie Mafioso, Joey Rosselini, Adam Baldwin, for not stopping the truck that he was driving, for a rival vendor company when ordered set off deadly repercussions that went from the city of Chicago to the hills and coal mines of rural Kentucky.
Geralds murder by a member of the Mafia's powerful Isabella family started a violent "blood feud" between the Gates' and Isabell's that even dwarfed the legendary feud between the Hatfield's and McCoy's. Gerald's older brother Truman, Patrick Swayze, who's an undercover cop in the Chicago PD knew what was coming with the Gates family back in Kentucky up in arms and wanting revenge for their brothers murder.
Showing up, unannounced, in the big city is Briar, Liam Neeson, Gerald's other brother looks to track down his killer, or killers, but Truman talks him out of taking the law into his own hands and letting the police and courts bring Geralds killer to justice. When there's nothing happening in getting Gerald's killers by "the law" Briar goes into action and tears up the Isabella mobsters only to later get shot down and killed by them.
Even Truman begins to realize that only him and his kin will have to be the judges juries and executioners of Gerald's killer and leave the Chicago justice department and police alone on their coffee break, which seems to last the entire movie, that their on.
The Kentucky Hillbillies turn out to be more then a match for the Chicago mobsters taking the fight to them in a final and bloody shootout at a local cemetery. Not even the dead are speared in this film, with the mobsters being shot with shotguns and bows and arrows as well as chased by dogs. In one horrifying one of the scene one of the mobsters is trapped in a trailer with dozens of dangerous snakes, poisonous as well as deadly constrictors, who go on to do a job on the poor smuck who's hopelessly trapped there.
The head of the Isabella mob family Big, or Big PaPa, John Isabella, Andreas Katsulas,ends the bloodbath by blasting young Joey who's incredible and brainless arrogance and stupidity started this whole mess by murdering Gerald. It was the mob-hillbilly conflict that lead to the death of Big PaPa John's one and only son Larry, Ben Stiller, who was blown to bits by the outraged Bariar Gates.
Patrick Swayze comes across as his usual pleasant and nice guy self as Truman Gates and at first tries everything to stop the impending war between his people, the Hillbillies, and the Chicago mobsters. Later Truman sees that the only way to settle things is with guns not with do-nothing lawyers DA's and police investigations and gets with "the program" set by his brother Briar and his fellow mountain men. Truman is also not as unsophisticated as his fellow home boys being married to Jessie, Helen Hunt, a concert violinist and well educated young woman.
Loseing both his brothers, Gerald and Briar, in the war with the mob Truman can now look forward to his wife giving birth to a future Gates and go back in peace, as a Chicago policeman, to raise his family. The movie "Next of Kin" is a bit unusual with the mob getting the hell beat out of them by a group of people who they never had any contact with and always looked down on, like the vicious and ignorant Joey, and never really took seriously until now. -
hitchcockthelegend30 August 2020Patrick Swayze stars in an action revenge thriller in the same year that he also made Road House, the following year he made Ghost, these were two years after he had made a sensual splash with Dirty Dancing. Thus it's safe to say that Patrick did not pigeon hole himself. Next of Kin holds no great hidden gem rewards, but it's a rock solid thriller boasting a splendid cast list featuring Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Adam Baldwin, Andreas Katsulas, Ben Stiller (in a serious role), Michael J. Pollard, Ted Levine and Paul Greco.
Plot finds Swayze as a Chicago cop who after the murder his younger brother desperately tries to uphold the law while one of his brothers from the "sticks" would rather enact all out revenge on the mobsters that killed the younger sibling. Suffice to say things go pear shaped and blood, loyalty and life altering decisions do follow.
The trajectory is simple , honest cop tries to do the right thing by the law in spite of the hurt in his heart, hillbilly brother (Neeson getting the best role in the film) would rather deliver some "deliverance" type justice - all while the rest of the "Gates" family clan await the call to come wading down from the hills to aid the retribution flow. The action scenes are well enough staged by director John Irvin, there's a whole bunch of fun in the characterisations - even if they are standard 101 scripted - while if you can get past Swayze's ponytail you will find a very restrained and cool performance.
Hardly a must see, but definitely no stinker and worth your time as a time filler, if only to see such a fresh faced young cast of well knowns turning tricks before bigger things awaited. 6/10 -
Hillbilly-turned-Chicago cop Patrick Swayze sets out to find his brother Bill Paxton's killer. His other brother Liam Neeson comes to the city to find the killer himself -- hillbilly style! It's hillbillies vs mobsters on the streets (and a cemetery) of Chi-town. I'm sure whoever did the casting on this movie had a brief career. I can buy Swayze and Paxton as hillbillies but Neeson? Also, Ben Stiller as a Sicilian mobster?
Swayze is a citified hillbilly. We know they've civilized him because he pulls his mullet back into a fashionable ponytail. Neeson is not civilized. We know this because he wears a dirty baseball cap at all times, even when he has on a suit. Helen Hunt is Swayze's city wife. She plays the violin, which Swayze's hillbilly kin refer to as the fiddle. Rest assured, this movie never misses a chance to traffic in clichés.
The action is so-so and the performances are about what you would expect. Swayze takes his part very seriously. Adam Baldwin seems to know the score and hams it up appropriately as the villain. There are many quotable lines, which is the mark of a good cheesy action movie. It's not at the top of my list of great '80s actioners but it's worth checking out anyway. -
badgerboy9730 November 2007This film is a very average 80's action/thriller. There really isn't a lot of action until the end, but I can't imagine it being categorized as anything else because the plot was so transparent and shallow that it couldn't be considered a drama or anything. This one has it all: Cheesy lines, the aforementioned bad plot, horrid and forced acting and really bad special effects.
The movie's upside, which most people already pointed out, is the cast. What were these people thinking when they agreed to be in this stinker? There's tons of big names in this film from when they were very young. Ben Stiller as a mobster, Liam Neeson as a 'hillbilly', Helen Hunt as the girlfriend...Adam Baldwin, Bill Paxton, and obviously Patrick Swayze. Speaking of Swayze, it's movies like this that really stopped his career from going from 15 minutes of fame to possibly 15 or more YEARS of fame.
Bad accents, forced acting, out of place casting and everything else mentioned above made this movie a below average film even for its time. Unless you're a Swayze nut, stay away from this movie. -
MovieAddict201612 February 2004Next of Kin
There's a lot of potential wasted here in this story of a redneck (Liam Neeson) whose big city brother (Bill Paxton in a brief cameo) is killed by crime lords (including a very young Ben Stiller). Taking revenge into his own hands, the redneck makes the trek to the big city and there finds his other brother, a cop (Patrick Swayze), doing virtually nothing about the case. Swayze tries to stop his brother from comitting murder--vengeance is up to the law--but he won't hear any of it.
This could have been an amazing sort of culture clash revenge movie fueled by some great performances (we've got a top-notch cast here!), but it's wasted because the film is (a) too long, (b) too stupid, and (c) far too inept to notice that the potential for great film is somewhere deep down below.
What a disappointment.
Rated R for violence and language.
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Okay...this is not a perfect movie, and it is hard to categorize because it is not violent enough for today's action movie label, funny enough for today's comedy tag or serious enough to earn the drama moniker.
We also have to realize that this is early in the career of some of the performers. Helen Hunt, liam Neeson, Ben Stiller and Bill Paxton are big today, but you cannot measure this movie by today's standards.
What a lot of people seem to have missed here is the theme about family and friendships. You had the hillbilly vs. the mob family -- hard to compare -- not really. The movie accented that their were more similarities than differences. There are too many examples to be worth singling any of them out.
You also had the loyalty/friendship theme. Think of how Michael J. Pollard, living in the basement of society, had high morals, or how the guys in the hillbilly bar could family up. You could measure that to the members of the bosses crime family against the character of Adam Baldwin.
All in all, this is not a great movie...good at best. But there are some interesting points worth pondering. And seeing an Irishman, Liam Neeson, playing a classic redneck hillbilly is worth seeing it all by itself.
Finally...another overlooked part of this movie is the excellent soundtrack. It is among my small collection of movie soundtracks, that should sum it. -
ccthemovieman-120 April 2007This wasn't too bad an action movie but it wasn't all that memorable, either. It's another Liberal elitist script that shows hillbillies as vengeful dumb-ass hicks. There also is the normal religious cheap shot of showing the morons put their hands on the Bible and say "a life for a life. Amen." That's the typical subliminal message for their viewers that anyone who reads the Bible isn't really a moral person, but revenge just like them.
These "believers" then head for Chicago to get their brother's killer.
There was a good cast in the film with Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson making an interesting one-two in the lead roles.
I actually would watch this again, some 15 years later, just to see some of the supporting cast: people who have gone on to become pretty famous such as Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Ted Levine, Ben Stiller and others. -
This film was filmed mostly in Chicago, and tiny bit in Perry County, KY. The film is good, and I will overlook the stereotypes. In a nutshell, the film is about revenge, southern style.
Truman Gates ( Patrick Swayze) a Chicago police officer, from Hazard, KY. He is one of three brothers who made it out of Eastern Kentucky, to become a Chicago police detective. His youngest brother, Gerald Gates ( Bill Paxton) works as truck driver; but despises Chicago. He wants to go back as soon as he can. One night while making a delivery, Gerald is a target of a mob hit. Joey Rosselini( Adam Baldwin) and Lawrence Isabella ( Ben Stiller) take Gerald in the trailer and work him over. Lawerence, doesn't know what is about to happen. Joey taunts, beats and kills Gerald.
When Truman is called in he has a pretty good idea who is responsible. He along with his wife travel by train back to Kentucky for the funeral. This is when the family decides something needs to be done. Briar Gates ( Liam Neeson), who I believe is the oldest. He has a talk with Truman, Briar is the hot headed one. The family has a meeting, and they need to find Gerald's killer. The whole eye for an eye philosophy.
So Briar packs up and heads to Chicago, and makes his presence known. He discovers, that a Sicilian mob family is responsible. He tells Truman, and Truman says he needs more evidence before an arrest is made. In Fact, Truman knows that Joey Rossellini ( Adam Baldwin) was the trigger man. Joey is just trouble, and is very jealous of Lawrence. The son of John Isabella ( Andras Katsulas) from his first marriage. Joey kills Lawrence, and blames it on Briar Gates. This news crushes John, and now Briar is a target. Truman makes it known if they mess with his brother they have to answer to him. Briar eventually gets killed, and this news gets back to the Gates family.
Some of the family come to Chicago, and now a showdown takes place at a cemetery. The ending is a shocker, but it made the movie.
The only problem I had with this film is the stereotype of people from Eastern Kentucky. My mom is from there, and she doesn't talk with an accent, she's educated, and her side of family is far from poor. I hate when people call them the H word, they don't like it. I love my mom's side of the family, and I have been to parts that are poor. A director should never classify all people from Eastern Kentucky as poor. People are poor everywhere, you just don't hear it. I'm a native Ohioan and feel this movie deserved an 8, but negative stereotypes can kill a movie. -
Patrick Swayze, coming off the heels of 'Dirty Dancing', did a couple of somewhat cult action films back in 1989. One was 'Road House' and the other was this film; 'Next of Kin'. My memory of this was better to say the least. This is a bad movie. Basically it's a revenge flick that makes no sense whatsoever. It's a country vs. the city movie, as hillbilly rednecks take on the mafia. I won't bother with the plot, other than to say it's badly written. What is interesting about this movie is the cast.
You have Swayze of course as the lead, Helen Hunt as his love interest, and a relatively unknown Liam Neeson playing Swayze's older brother in a heroic role. Adam Baldwin, Ted Levine, Bill Paxton and a young Ben Stiller are in this movie as well. Out of the cast, Neeson's Briar is the most interesting character, and Neeson delivers the goods. Always worth checking out films you remember from your youth if you are someone like me, but this is just essentially a cheesy action film from the 80s that you can easily skip.
** out of *****! -
Pat-11811 June 1999I have lived in Chicago all my long life, and I really appreciated the authenticity of the location scenes. The area around Wilson and Broadway is exactly where the "hillbillies" (forgive the term), especially the single men, generally migrate. The characters in the flophouse and bars must have been taken right from the street. The "project" was recognizably Cabrini-Green, and Truman and Jesse's restored three-story house could almost be pinpointed to Lincoln Park (except that the "bad guys", and Truman, would never have found such open parking - they'd still be circling the block).
The cemetery where the final showdown occurred is Graceland on Clark Street, as everyone who has toured or visited this landmark would know. It was an agony to watch these historic monuments being blown to bits - I had to keep chanting "it's only a movie, it's only a movie".
But the readiness of the Kentucky family to jump into the fray was very real. That wonderful scene of the pickup truck on its northbound trek up Lake Shore Drive has its counterpart in everyday life, so I've been told.
Liam Neeson is a revelation. It's hard to believe that the same actor who plays to perfection this tight lipped, lean and mean mountain man, will later be nominated for an Oscar for his heart-rending portrayal of a sophisticated German industrialist.
Truman Gates may be my favorite Patrick Swayze character. There's plenty of blood-and-guts action, but it's easy to believe that a concert violinist would fall madly in love with this exciting, unusual cop. Helen Hunt, as his wife, and Michael J. Pollard as a benighted flophouse manager, are excellent in their roles.
See this movie for a good story, authentic characterizations, and non-stop interest. -
Next of Kin has a rather unusual story about hillbillies fighting against mafia in Chicago. It all starts when an ordinary hillbilly named Gerald Briar who moved to town in order to become a truck driver gets killed by mobsters while doing his job. The main villain is Joey (played by Adam Baldwin), a very brutal and relentless member of the Isabela crime family, who has to work with his boss' harmless son Lawrence (Ben Stiller). What he did not know is that the trucker had a huge family of highlanders, and his brother Truman Gates (Patrick Swayze) lives in Chicago and works as a detective. After Gerald's funeral, Gerald's second brother Briar (Liam Neeson), who is just an ordinary unsuccessful hillbilly, decides to travel to Chicago in order to investigate his brother's death. He occupies a room in a cheap motel, prepares some bullets, and starts beating or threatening anybody who gets in his way. Meanwhile, Truman, who has a beautiful violinist wife Jessie (Helen Hunt), also starts his own investigation but through peaceful means and more subtle threats.
The movie is quite slow-paced and the Briar brothers actually try to get the full picture of the 3rd brother's death before killing anybody. However, the movie's finale is just a dumb shootout scene where mobsters get brutally slaughtered with weapons including shotguns, bows, crossbows, throwing axes and even snakes! One must wonder why the movie is so long when in the end everything comes down to fighting and Truman's plan of lawful arrest fails, but that is probably due to "movie magic". The rest of the movie is forgettable, with several events that do not make any sense. There is one exciting scene where Briar is being chased by mobsters and has to jump on moving trains which is worth watching. The scenes showing the Gates family in the hills are also well-made and successfully capture the spirit of a big highlander clan.
All in all, Next of Kin does have some famous actors, most notably Liam Neeson and Patrick Swayze, but it's just an average crime action movie with several flaws. -
It's Kain-tuck hillbillies versus the Chicago mob in a typical John Irvin bad classic, NEXT OF KIN. A wooden but beautiful Patrick Swayze stars as a Chi-town cop originally from Kain-tuck whose brother (a young Bill Paxton) is murdered by a psychotic mobster (FIREFLY's Adam Baldwin). Another brother, straight out of the Kain-tuck hills (a bearded Liam Neeson doing a perfectly dreadful hillbilly accent) shows up to avenge Paxton's death, and all hell breaks loose. It's the Hatfields versus McCoys, downtown style. A young, somewhat awkward Ben Stiller plays the son of the mob boss. The final showdown is a comedy classic, as an army of hillbillies who come to the rescue, armed with bows and arrows among other things, takes on the gun-slinging mob in a graveyard. NEXT OF KIN is no ROAD HOUSE, although Swayze races around a lot in an old Camaro. And he wears a funny hat. Plus he has a mullet, which he sometimes twists into a fetching ponytail. In fact, depending on the scene, his hair out-acts him. I sometimes wonder how John Irvin kept getting jobs, but I suspect the studios loved him for his "one-take and let's move on" attitude.
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lor_1 May 2023My review was written in October 1989 after a screening in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.
John Irvin's atmospheric direction lifts the Patrick Swayze cop vehicle "Next of Kin" from routine programmer to sleeper status. Unfortunately, Warners' no-press-screenings play is indicative of this intriguing B+ picture getting the heave-ho in the marketplace.
Pic is of historical interest as the final film to go into production (August 1988) at Lorimar, while theindie was being swallowed by Warner Communications.
Interesting wrinkle in Michaei Jenning's screenplay (based on a script by Jenning and pic's associate producer, Jeb Stuart) is a mixing and matching of two ethnic strains of the vendetta: backwoods Appalachian version and revenge Sicilian-style.
These plot threads ar4e set in motion when Bill Paxton, a Kentucky boy from the hills now working in Chicago, is ruthlessly murdered by mafia enforcer Adam Baldwin as part of a strong-arm move in the vending machines racket. Paxton's older brother, Patrick Swayze, is a Chicago cop determined to find the killer.
Interfering with Swayze's efforts is the old-fashioned "eye for an eye" vengeance demanded by eldest brother Liam Neson. Picture climaxes with an elaborate war ina Chicago cemetery between Baldwin's mafioso and Neesons Kentucky kin, matching automatic weaponry with primitive (but reliable crossbows, hatchets, snakes and knives. Treachery on the Cosa Nostra side brings out a parallel "next of kin" subplot that concludes the film effectively.
Director Irvin's technical skill and Steven Poster's muted-color photgraphy bring out th4e flavor of both Kentucky and Chicago locations, with consistent tongue-in-cheek eleents (and ouright comic relief by the delightful Michael J. Pollard) balancing the film noir mood.
Swayze is solid as the mixed-motives hero, and inspired casting teams him with Irish thesp Neeson, most convincing as a tghrowback whose fish-ou-of-water misadventures in Chicago are a treat. Cast against type, Baldwin, the hulking youngster, familiar from "My Bodyguard", builds a fascinating portrait of evil lurking behind the innocent face. Supporting cast is convincing and physicaly perfect. -
gordytheghoul23 August 2012NEXT OF KIN (1989) Back in the 80's action movies where all the rage, remember when everybody was seeing/talking about Die Hard, Predator, Lethal Weapon or the latest Rambo entry. Reenter those wonderful unforgettable days of ole for this piece of underrated southern fried vengeance and mayhem action flick starring mullet hero Patrick Swayze and a then largely unknown Liam Neeson, who sets the groundwork for his future metamorphosis from Oscar nominated actor to 21st century Charles Bronson, here.
Directed by John Irvin, a maverick of the underrated action movie with credits like the Dogs of War and the superior Schwarzenegger vehicle Raw Deal, Swayze stars as Truman Gates, a reformed hillbilly turned windy city cop. When mobsters kill his little brother (Bill Paxton), he finds himself torn between "what he should have done and what has to be done." So enter his estranged older brother, Briar (Neeson), the kind of Appalachian who keeps a severed deer's head in his fridge next to his beer. Briar comes to the big city looking for the men responsible and more than willing to stomp a few creeps to get some answers. Truman, unsuccessfully attempts to keep him on a leash, but soon finds himself drawn into the dark side of vengeance too.
Not nearly as giddy silly as the much loved Swayze starrer cult classic Road House. Still, Next of Kin offers plenty to recommend like an awesome showdown in a cemetery, amiable characters, funny cheesy duologue, and a great role for cult character actor Michael J. Pollard as the proprietor of a flophouse who gets the film's single funniest line ("Hell, no. I'd shoot somebody").
Having never looked better than on the new Blu-ray release with it's 1:85:1 high definition transfer, it easily replaces the poor quality budget pan & scan DVD from years ago. Featuring a stunning cast of actors who would continue to various levels of stardom, not just Neeson and Paxton, but also a never lovelier future Oscar Winner Helen Hunt, Adam Baldwin (Serenity) as the chief heavy, a young Ben Stiller as a mobster flunky and Ted Levine ("Monk") .
Next of Kin is not as well known as many of the other actioners of it's day, but it is one of the best. As expected there are plot holes, inconsistencies and plenty of good old clichés, but it's also a lot of fun and an agreeable time waster. A perfect lazy Sunday afternoon movie. -
bagdad-4295323 April 2020I'm not sure how modern people react to dumb-a## action movies of generation ago? this movie is bad, in all respects. Mostly, plot. Liam is fantastic! The Camaro is fabulous! The promise of the script? Mountain Justice v. Big City Justice? not much. P.S. Micheal J. Pollard = yes love that guy!
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darrell-garrison14 January 2003This is one of the worst films made by many of the cast! Oscar nominee Liam Neeson as a hillbilly brother of Patrick Swayze! Hah! Bill Paxton and Oscar winner Helen Hunt went on to much greater success in 'Twister', but seem to just be paying their dues here. Ben Stiller looks miserable. Unfortunately, Patrick Swayze has made too many films like this one; he actually seems to belong here. Truly laughable from start to finish!
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lost-in-limbo9 April 2011This was the same year that Patrick Swayze had made the cult-action joint "Road House", and the following action feature "Next of Kin" was a decent, if not particularly memorable outing by director John Irvin. Along for the ride was a familiar Hollywood cast (filled with character actors) and the material on show seemed to be presenting a theme of family values and blood is family --- linked together by the motivation for revenge. Two brothers from the south, Truman now a city cop who rarely sees his family and the other the older brother Briar a former coal miner worker share a shaky relationship when Truman left along with their younger brother Gerald for the city. However a tragedy occurs where Gerald is executed by gangsters. Truman hurting inside wants to catch the guys who did it by the law, but Briar turns up in Chicago to settle the score himself with or without Truman's help.
Not really inventive (City folks underestimate what they see as simple mountain folk); nonetheless the slow-boil action is tough and brutal, even if it doesn't really pack much of a sting despite its somewhat dreary urban atmosphere. Some odd comic elements feel a little misplaced. Still it's quite grounded, until it reaches an all-out assault between the two families one night in a graveyard and poetic justice is reached. The stunts are well delivered and Irvin's mechanical style is well crafted. Patrick Swayze is likable in the lead and Liam Neeson as the square-minded Briar adds the sparks. Adam Baldwin is perfect as the scummy mafia man who caused the mayhem. Also dependably showing up is Helen Hunt, Andreas Katsulas, Ben Stiller, Ted Levine, Michael J Pollard and Bill Paxton as Gerald. -
bronsonskull7213 July 2003Patrick Swayze stars as Truman Gates a police officer who is torn between justice and loyalty to his brother Briar (Liam Neeson) who is provoking a war with a mobster(Adam Baldwin) who killed their younger brother Gerald (Bill Paxton) in this surprisingly engaging action flick. Patrick Swayze makes for an appealing hero and the actionscenes are tight and spectacular however Next Of Kin doesn't quite meet it's potentional.
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sueelaine25 March 2019Enjoyable! Hillbillies vs Mob. And the good guys win. Family First theme on both sides. But everyone hates the Mob. Go Hillbillies! Brother to brother.
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hockent3 January 2004Well, this movie wasn't serious enough to be a drama, too serious to be a comedy and only your grandma would think it was an action movie. I realize that Patrick Swayze isn't the best actor in the world but when you see a movie with Liam Neeson and Ben Stiller you'd expect that it wouldn't suck... you'd be wrong.
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webmouse10 December 2007What makes this action drama particularly moving is the comparison between the extended family of a Sicilian crime boss and the clannishness of the hillbillies. While Joey Rosellini insults the mountain folks as people "who farm rocks" his boss John Isabella sees the link -- "that is what they said about our people back in the old country." It is not a matter of who wears the nicer suit; it is a matter of blood, of kinship, and of ensuring that the one with the greater grievance has justice is done for his family. This is a very old tradition, both in the Sicilian families and in those Celtic clans that moved into the hills of Appalachia. In this aspect "Next of Kin" reaches a level of art not usually found in action films. The scene of the women packing sandwiches for the big hunt shows a level of clan community not well understood by us city-folk.
Watch this film and enjoy. -
Robert_duder13 October 2005Director John Irvin must have a real passion for mob movies. He tries his best in both Schwarzenegger's Raw Deal and now Patrick Swayze's Next of Kin to create a violent, good action film but make it passionate and dramatic and all about crime family vs crime family. However, Next of Kin is the later creation and he must have fine tuned some of the mistakes from the rather slow moving Raw Deal. Next of Kin is a much better film and perhaps a big part of that is the strong cast of future stars Next of Kin carries. Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Ben Stiller, Bill Paxton, and even Patrick Swayze who was really at the height of his career in this film...between Dirty Dancing and Ghost.
Next of Kin takes a rather liberal view at a group of people not normally dealt with in films...mountain people...or hillbillies if you will. Swayze plays a former country boy who moved to the big city, became a cop, married his love, and is now urbanized himself. His little brother who aims to follow up in his footsteps ends up getting himself murdered by the crime family, Isabella. The rest of his "kin" want Swayze to avenge the death but Swayze is determined to let justice take it's course. Again, much like Raw Deal, Next of Kin is about vengeance and anger and it all bottles up until one big explosion of revenge in the end. The big difference is that Next of Kin stays interesting through the whole movie right up to and including the end and still has some really great action scenes to boot.
The cast as previously mentioned is very well done fortunately for Mr. Irvin. Swayze plays a convincing cop and mountain boy and him and Helen Hunt have decent chemistry for their brief on screen moments. Adam Baldwin as the blood thirsty villain does a good job (not as good his later performance in Joss Whedon's Serenity (aka Firefly) as Jayne but he is convincing as the bad guy. Ben Stiller's brief role is also quite good as the smarter villain but he doesn't last long. Overall Next of Kin is mostly forgettable but a decent entry in the eighties action genre. It has it's moments and is worth checking out for those full of nostalgia. 7.5/10 -
sailr_4924 October 2007For all the big names in this film, it is truly pathetic.
Shallow, cartoonish bad guys, and one-dimensional characters throughout. I can't believe this one was ever released theatrically, nor why it is being shown on TBS now. Back in 1989 some of the now-big name actors like Ben Stiller were just getting started, but others should have turned this one down, like Liam Neeson. His casting as a backwoods hillbilly out for vengeance in the big city of Chicago may be the worst casting I can remember. Patrick Swayze does his usual pathetic job of trying to be tough and sensitive at the same time, and again I am unimpressed.