In John Irvin’s 1989 thriller “Next of Kin,” Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson play Truman and Briar Gates, two brothers who followed very different paths. Director John Irvin is well known to a certain generation of moviegoers, having directed such memorable hits as “Ghost Story”, “Raw Deal” and “Hamburger Hill” in the 1980s, and “Robin Hood”, “Freefall” and “A Month By the Lake” in the 1990s. Most recently, Irvin directed the biopic “Mandela’s Gun” in 2016. His career is long and prestigious.
“Next of Kin” was a remarkable action film in that it could have been billed as “gangsters versus hillbillies.” Swayze plays Truman Gates, a man raised in the Appalachian wilderness with his mountain family, but who moves to Chicago to become a top police detective. As the film begins, Truman is a city mouse, engaged to urban Jessie (Helen Hunt), pregnant with their first child.
The plot of the film is a simple bloody revenge. Truman’s younger brother Gerald (Bill Paxton) falls on hard times when the family coal mine closes, and Truman invites him to stay in Chicago and take a job as a truck driver. On the first day, however, Gerald’s truck is hijacked by the Chicago mob and Gerald is murdered by Joey Rosellini (Adam Baldwin). Truman’s older brother, Briar (Neeson), hears of Gerald’s murder and comes to Chicago in mountaineer attire, hoping to find and murder Joey Rosellini. Truman knows he can’t deter the hot-headed Briar, so he must race against time to solve Gerald’s murder and stop the attacker before Briar kills half the city’s gangsters.
It’s pretty awesome.
Next of Kin is pretty awesome, actually
As you may have noticed, the cast of “Next of Kin” is rich. In addition to Swayze, Neeson, Paxton, Hunt and Baldwin, “Next of Kin” also benefits from a debut appearance from a young Ben Stiller, playing a low-level mob guy. Stiller’s character’s father is played by prolific actor Andreas Katsulas (“Babylon 5”), and Michael J. Pollard appears in a supporting role. Look closely, and you’ll see Ted Levine in there, too.
“Next of Kin” is fascinating in that it follows a battle between two groups who believe in extrajudicial revenge and vigilante justice. The mobsters will happily strike down their enemies, while the honorable mountain folk will be happy to ignore the law to settle their personal scores. Both groups are also very family oriented, wanting to protect their loved ones from any violence. Naturally, “Next of Kin” argues that city life, while bringing comfort and gain to Truman, is not a desirable lifestyle. Briar is violent, but he is presented as honest and rude. Mafia characters are portrayed as devious and whiny, even though they exhibit their power, confidence, intelligence, and willingness to fight for their illegal activity. Only Truman seems to have resisted the transition from the hills to the city. And, of course, Briar will bring Truman back to his mountain man sense of honor, inviting his brother to join him in a little bloodletting on the frontier.
Patrick Swayze is a bit miscast as Truman; it’s hard to see the mountain man in his character. He is too confident and cosmopolitan. Please be aware that Swayze has not always been well liked and has often been the target of ridicule. He was certainly the target of the Razzies in 1989.
Critics hated Next of Kin
“Next of Kin” was only a modest success, grossing less than $16 million on its $12 million budget. He produced a fun soundtrack featuring Greg Allman, Rocky Skaggs and Charlie Daniels, as well as a track sung by Swayze himself. Patrick Swayze was often teased for his “ultra-hunk” image at the time, leading to his performance “Next of Kin” receiving a Razzie nomination. “Next of Kin” was released the same year as Rowdy Herrington’s camp classic “Road House,” so the Razzies nominated Swayze for both performances. They were obviously not deserved. “Next of Kin” and “Road House” are thoroughly enjoyable films (although no film in the entire history of cinema is more entertaining than “Road House”).
“Next of Kin” was not liked at all by critics, with many finding it completely idiotic. It currently only has a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews. Siskel and Ebert gave it a bad review on their show, and both later called it one of the worst films of 1989. Ebert felt that the script was terrible and that he could barely see through the film’s dark photography (something he attributed to poor projection work at his theater). Siskel argued that he was grateful that he wasn’t able to see such a terrible film with greater clarity.
Like “Road House”, however, some had reconsidered “Next of Kin”, finding it ridiculous. The stupid action and illogical plot are a feature, not a bug, and it’s exhilarating to see Liam Neeson, Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Ben Stiller all in the same place.
“Next of Kin” is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
