Next of Kin (1989)    Warner Bros./Action    RT: 109 minutes    Rated R (language, violence)    Director: John Irvin    Screenplay: Michael Jenning    Music: Jack Nitzsche    Cinematography: Steven B. Poster    Release date: October 20, 1989 (US)    Cast: Patrick Swayze, Liam Neeson, Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Ben Stiller, Andreas Katsulas, Michael J. Pollard, Ted Levine, Del Close, Valentino Cimo, Paul Greco, Vincent Guastaferro, Paul Herman, Don James.    Box Office: $15.9M (US)

Rating: ***

 If you think a family feud is just a game show on TV, Next of Kin will come as a real shock to the system. In this case, the feud in question involves hillbillies and the Mafia. You can bet a lot of blood will be spilled before it’s over.

 Directed by John Irvin (Raw Deal), Next of Kin stars Patrick Swayze (Road House) as Truman Gates, a Chicago cop from Kentucky who finds his loyalties being tested after his younger brother is murdered by vicious mobster Joey Rosellini (Baldwin, Full Metal Jacket) during an attempted hijacking. His family back home, older brother Briar (Neeson, Taken) in particular, wants to handle it their way with a traditional blood feud. Truman tries to convince them to let the law deal with it to no avail.

 Briar makes his way to the Windy City where he attempts to track down the guilty party. Truman tries to convince mob boss Papa John (Katsulas, The Fugitive) to turn the murderer over to the police in order to avoid real trouble with his vengeful clan. The crime boss refuses on general principle although it’s a certainty he’s also trying to protect his son Lawrence (Stiller, There’s Something About Mary) who was present when cousin Joey pulled the trigger. Truman has to bring his brother’s killer to justice before Briar deals with it his way, an action that will likely result in more bloodshed.

 I went to see Next of Kin on a Saturday evening with my mom (Swayze’s #1 fan) and we both enjoyed it. I recall thinking Swayze had the potential to be as big an action star as Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Earlier that year, he established himself as a true-blue bad ass in Road House. As an actor, he was multi-faceted. Just a couple of years before, he danced his way into the hearts of legions of women (Mom included) in Dirty Dancing. He went on to star in the smash hit romantic fantasy Ghost (1990). The late actor had quite the career. I still miss him.

 Next of Kin tends to go unnoticed among Swayze’s movies. It certainly didn’t generate a lot of attention at the box office. Granted, it doesn’t reach the level of pure awesomeness as Road House, but what does? He doesn’t break quite as many bones in Next of Kin, but he still manages to get his point across. In addition to his awesome fighting skills, he relies on weaponry both conventional (gun) and unconventional (crossbow). In short, it’s a good action flick.

 While I like Next of Kin, it does have pacing issues. It takes a little too long to get to the really good part, when the whole Gates clan comes to Chicago to help Truman fight Joey and his men. The climactic clash takes place in a dark cemetery. It involves crossbows, dogs and a bus load of snakes. It’s the best part of the movie.

 Swayze has a decent supporting cast to back him up. Helen Hunt (As Good as It Gets) plays his wife Jessie, a classical violinist who doesn’t understand the Appalachian way. She’s not happy about the notion of Briar putting her family’s life at risk. Character actor Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie and Clyde) shows up as the desk clerk at the flop house Briar calls home during his stay in the big, bad city. He’s the guy tasked with calling the family if something happens to Briar. He brings an element of humor to the proceedings.

 Baldwin makes a great psycho. That’s the only way to describe his character here. With that malevolent look in his eyes, he’s one scary SOB. Neeson, in an early role, shows why he’s a big name star today. He successfully sheds his Irish brogue for a Kentucky twang. Stiller fares decently in one of his first roles.

 The storyline is a good one. Irvin brings a fresh approach to the cop movie genre with the idea of a hillbilly blood feud. Next of Kin has a decent amount of action and a few cool chase scenes. I’m particularly fond of the scene where mobsters chase Briar in and out and on top of the Chicago El. I realize any action movie set in Chicago will involve the El at some point. It’s been effective in a few movies (e.g. Code of Silence, Running Scared) and works well here too. The country music heard throughout the movie blends well with the gritty Chicago settings. It gives Next of Kin a distinctive and unique flavor.

 I’ll say this for Next of Kin. It has artistic integrity. It doesn’t try to be anything more than an entertaining Saturday night action movie. It has a certain purity you don’t find in films today. That’s something I truly admire.