Kicked in the Head
Kicked in the Head
| 26 September 1997 (USA)
Kicked in the Head Trailers

Redmond is a young guy who can't find what to do with his life. When his uncle Sam gives him the bag to deliver to some uptown connection he fails to do so and it gets them in trouble with Jack, low-key criminal. After that tough guy Stretch wants Redmond to take part in his illegal beer business, but before Redmond gets involved, the business ends in a bad way. Redmond is also having affair with flight attendant Megan.

Reviews
Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
B24 Not often that a decently produced film with some veteran actors gets a rating as low as this one. I watched it on Sundance channel with no advance idea of its origin. I am fairly convinced, however, that its flaws relate to the origins of its ingredients.First, you take some young New Yorkers who may or may not be on speed and get them to write a treatment for a film in small script in an even smaller notebook. Then you have them read it back to themselves after they have come down off their high, reflecting if possible on any chaotic dreams they can remember. Tell them to include all the stock New York characters and clichés in no apparent order, jumping all over the place in time and location.Next you hire some really great local character actors who are between engagements to play some zany but recognizable types. Add a couple of actresses to play, respectively, a one-note looker and a drippy high school sweetheart type. Then cast one of yourselves in the main protagonist role as an aspiring writer with no real talent either as a writer or actor. A cute dog and maybe even someone's cat could provide added appeal.Then comes the hard part: getting someone short on IQ but long on money to finance the whole thing and let it go wherever it takes you. Marketing can come later.This turkey is saved by inspired character acting. I particularly liked Burt Young playing a role he has played many times, and I thought John Ventimiglia was terrific. Pity it had to be in this film.
Ghenghy Man, I hate to say anything good about a film with James Woods in the credits, my personal choice as Hollywood's most irritating and unlikable actor since Victor Mature. However, he's only got a bit part, thank god, and he plays a consumate loser(not much of a stretch) so I will gleefully throw this one a prop. I don't know where all these lousy votes are coming from. I guess people tuned out early from all the existential angst our main character, Kevin Corrigan, is bleeding all over the place. Michael Rapaport is hysterical as an enthusiastic Irish gun toting beer distributor at war with more ethnic gun toting beer distributors. Basically the same role he played in True Romance but this time he's on crack. I think I counted about 700 beers in his refrigerator? I also noticed that nobody in this movie can shoot worth a s#@t. Spoilers ahead: Have you ever seen anybody empty an entire clip from a Desert Eagle at 3 feet and hit nothing but the sky? This movie is inventive, witty, and just downright hilarious. Worth a second look. The final scene had me simultaneously rolling on the floor and searching for an airsick bag. Funny funny funny! A solid 9 beer salute.
jelaine5 First off for anyone who is a Kevin Korrigan Fan should know that Kevin co-wrote this movie with Matthew Harrison. They had been friends and he had called on Kevin to ask if kevin liked what he had got for a script about a poor bloke who had all of these mishaps. Kevin and him got the idea to use kevin's own misfortunes as the basis for the plot. Of course they had to fill it in with things that actually were not true to make things fall into place. Second- all-star cast. It won't get any better than Michael Rapaport as 'stretch', Lili taylor as 'happy', James Woods as his 'uncle sam' and Linda Florintino as the unlucky 'angel'. Just listening to Rapaport is a blast. He's the master of overlapping dialog and using his thick accent to give any scene a gritty urban feel. If you really think about it all of the characters have a very gritty urban sense to them. It's like you just know that these characters (must) actually exist in like N.Y or N.J or someplace (the only word that I can think of that really works here, that I'm really over using is)GRITTY, like thick in culture, or blue collar, backstreet, tough neighborhoods. I LOVE THAT!!!! Fast talking, overlapping dialog is the best. Another great movie with Kevin Korrigan is 'Walking in Talking' It also has another star who is amazingly humorous...Catherine Keener. If you want to see another awesome movie with Michael Rapaport at his (almost best, second to 'kicked in the head) performance, check out 'beautiful Girls'. They are the best, you should check them out! Enjoy.
culwin This is really an underrated film. There is great acting and character development, especially by Michael Rapaport who plays the main character's strange but lucky friend "Stretch". The LEAST interesting character is probably actually the main character, Redmond, who seems to just wander through life and let things happen to him. But this is what makes the movie interesting; around Redmond's world revolves many strange and unique people. Coincidence and symbolism play a large part in Redmond's world too, which provides comedy in the most serious situations. A lot of this movie seems taken from Pulp Fiction, from the guy who doesn't get shot to the guys sitting around a table talking about classic movies (as opposed to Madonna songs in pulp). I also found the ending unfulfilling. Otherwise, a strange but interesting movie that I recommend.