Gates (Patrick Swayze) is a Chicago city cop, having left his humble backwoods roots. He is impelled back home with the death of his brother at the hands of an Italian-American crime group, escorting the body home for the funeral with his classy city wife (Helen Hunt) alongside.
While ‘home’ Gates cops the ribbing from the family at his big city ways, and indulges in the redneck activities from his youth. But Gates find nothing sufficient to lure him back.
More a concern are the cries of retribution from the extended family, not least of which from brother Briar (Liam Neeson), who brushes off Gates’ “let the law handle it” pleas as words from a fool.
When Gates returns to pick up the trail of the case he finds the gang (that includes a young Ben Stiller) and is unsurprised to find Briar is already conducting an investigation of his own.
Who is right? Who is wrong? Can one brother convince the other of their misjudgment? Or will everything devolve into a messy but satisfying shootout at the end of the film?
I think we all know the answer to that one. Next of Kin is interesting enough prior to the finale, but without the bow and arrow, knife and gun fuelled throw down finale it would be far less a film.
Patrick Swayze’s never let his career pin him down to any one niche. Next of Kin is of a similar vintage and tone to Don Johnson’s Dead Bang, though without quite the impact of its rival.
Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. Mostly pleasingly grimy late 80s action film.
