Next of Kin is a 1989 American action thriller film directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson, with Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Ben Stiller in one of his earliest roles. The screenplay was based on a story of the same title, both written by Michael Jenning.

Plot

Truman Gates, a former US Army Airborne Ranger raised in Appalachia, migrates to Chicago to become a police officer. Married to Jessie, who is pregnant, he has made the transition from hillbilly to respectable lawman.

When the coal mine closes, Truman persuades his younger brother Gerald to get work in Chicago. Unfortunately, soon after landing a job as a truck driver, his vehicle is hijacked by mobsters and Gerald is killed by Joey Rosellini, the nephew of mob boss Papa John Isabella.

Truman returns to Kentucky for the funeral. His surviving brother, Briar Gates insists on a traditional mountain blood feud, but Truman begs them to let Gerald s murder be dealt with by the law. Briar finds Truman s reluctance to be disgraceful. So, determined to deal with the murderers himself, Briar searches for his kid brother s killer in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Truman tries to solve the crime before Briar can take revenge. Approaching John Isabella, he explains the mountain code. He suggests Gerald s murderer surrenders peacefully to save them both a lot of trouble. John, however, refuses on general principle, and Truman is left to continue his investigation.

After arriving in town, Briar gets a room at a flop house. He gives the front desk clerk his cousin s number back home, asking him to call it if he doesn t return by morning.

Briar immediately goes looking for information on the man who killed Gerald, shooting up a local mob hangout in the process. Truman arrives a little later, Joey, embarrassed by the attack, says he is not pressing charges against Briar, intending to handle things himself. When Papa John says things are getting out of hand, Joey dismisses the threat, saying that the Gates family, plow rocks for a living. John responds, That s what they said about our people back in Sicily.

Working together for a time, Briar and Truman discover who the hijackers were from a witness. Truman pressures Lawrence, the son of Papa John, to turn state s evidence against Joey. When Lawrence goes to Joey for help, he betrays him. Lawrence s body is found, having been tortured, with Briar s shotgun at the scene.

Joey goes to Papa John who, devastated, sanctions a hit on the supposed culprit. Before he can, Briar breaks into Rosellini s trucking company and engages in a gunfight with Joey s crew and kills two of them before Joey shoots Briar twice. Fatally wounded, Briar dies in Truman s arms.

When the flop house desk clerk hears about the deaths at the Trucking Company on the news, he calls the number Briar gave him.

Even though both Truman and the police know that the evidence against Briar was planted, and that Briar s death was an ambush, there is no proof. Truman resigns from the police force to go after the Rosellini mob himself. As the Gates family gathers together and travels to Chicago to begin a war against the Outfit, Truman goes on the offensive and throws one of Joey s guys through the window of a restaurant. When Joey comes out, he finds You forgot one, painted on Joey s car, and he vows to kill Truman without Papa John s permission.

Truman lures the Rosellini crew to a darkened cemetery, where an extended battle ensues, including the arrival of the Gates clan (and their hound dogs and rattlesnakes). In the end, Truman has Joey pinned on the ground with a knife to his throat only to be stopped when Papa John arrives with members of the Gates family held at gunpoint. He orders Truman to drop the knife and move out of the way. Having learned the truth about Lawrence s murder, to Joey s horror, he points the gun not at Truman, but at him. The Don tells Joey, This is for killing my son, and he fatally shoots Joey.

The Gates and Isabella families call a truce. Back at the police station, Truman finds Jessie and tells her, You re my family.

Cast

• Patrick Swayze as Detective Truman Gates
• Liam Neeson as Briar Gates
• Adam Baldwin as Joey Rosselini
• Helen Hunt as Jessie Gates
• Bill Paxton as Gerald Gates
• Don James as David Jenkins
• Ben Stiller as Lawrence Isabella
• Andreas Katsulas as Johnny Papa John Isabella
• Michael J. Pollard as Harold
• Joseph R. Ryan as Grandpa Gates
• Rodney Hatfield as Hollis Gates
• Brett Hadley as De Witt Gates
• Richard Wharton as Selkirk Gates
• Kelly Blair as Tolbert Gates
• Charles Williams as Pierce
• Michael Wise as Snakeman
• Ted Levine as Willy Simpson
• Del Close as Frank
• Valentino Cimo as Rhino
• Paul Greco as Leo
• Vincent Guastaferro as Paulie
• Paul Herman as Lieutenant Tony Antonelli
• Starla Fugate as Woman Pouring Coffee
• Sally Murphy as Hooker
• Lisa Niemi as The Violinist (uncredited)

Production

Filming

Some of the home scenes and the opening scenes were filmed in the small Perry County, Kentucky coal camp of Hardburly. Others were done at the M.C. Napier High School gym in Hazard, Kentucky and in Letcher County near Carbon Glow.

Reception

Next of Kin received mixed reviews from critics, scoring 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews. Critic Brian Orndorf wrote, Next of Kin isn t a dazzling picture, but there s personality about it that eases the blow of idiocy, keeping the adventure of Truman Gates, redneck cop, alive and well. It earned a Razzie Award nomination for Patrick Swayze as Worst Actor (also for Road House), where he lost to William Shatner for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. In Sweden it was retitled Dirty Fighting (in English) to capitalize on Swayze s earlier success with Dirty Dancing. The film has since become a cult classic.

Film critics Siskel & Ebert, in particular, were not impressed with the film including it on their Worst of 1989 show. Roger Ebert described the scene where the women are preparing lunch for the men getting ready for combat as desperation time at the old screenwriting factory . Gene Siskel mocked the bow and arrow fight at the climax, suggesting that it might have had more impact had it been shot in the daytime instead of night.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack to the film was also released through Columbia Records. Here is the track listing:

Year	1989
ReleaseDate	1989-10-20
RuntimeMins	108
RuntimeStr	1h 48min
Plot	Truman, a Chicago cop, sets out to find the killer of his brother. Meanwhile, another of his brothers, Briar (a hillbilly) decides to find the killer himself.
Awards	Awards, 1 nomination
Directors	John Irvin
Writers	Michael Jenning
Stars	Patrick Swayze, Liam Neeson, Adam Baldwin
Produced by	Les Alexander, Larry DeWaay, Don Enright, Jeb Stuart
Music by	Jack Nitzsche
Cinematography by	Steven Poster
Editing by	Peter Honess
Casting By	Jane Alderman, Shelley Andreas, Mindy Marin
Production Design by	Jack T. Collis
Set Decoration by	Jim Duffy
Costume Design by	Donfeld
Makeup Department	Art Anthony, Jerry Turnage
Production Management	Scott Maitland
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Tony Adler, Bruce Moriarty, Noel Tomlinson
Art Department	Dennis DeWaay, Steve Fegley, David Gianneschi, Michael D. Gianneschi, Joe A. Hawthorne, Aaron Holden, Fred Lucky, Joe Pfaltzgraf, Lawrence Ross Shepard, Kenneth Turek, John Warnke, Robert E. Knight
Sound Department	Rick Alexander, John Benson, Susan Dudeck, Les Fresholtz, Walter Goss, Allen Hartz, Franklin Jones Jr., Martin Maryska, James Matheny, Vern Poore, Bob Ryan, Rex Slinkard, Ralph Stuart, Jeff Watts, Glenn Williams, Jeffrey A. Williams, Christopher Flick, Elliott Koretz, David Williams
Special Effects by	Joe Lombardi, Paul J. Lombardi, John D. Milinac, Larry Reid
Stunts	Tony Brubaker, Danny Costa, Charles Croughwell, Eddie J. Fernandez, Gene Hartline, Johnny Hock, Norman Howell, Bob Kurcz, Rick LeFevour, Stacy Logan, Myke Michaels, Bob Minor, Mario Roberts, Ben Scott, Walter Scott, John Sherrod, R.L. Tolbert, Carey Loftin, John-Clay Scott
Camera and Electrical Department	William L. Allen Sr., Jamie Barber, Art Bartels, Alphonse Blumenthal, Eugene F. Crededio, George Kohut, Peter Kuttner, Gregory Lundsgaard, David Morenz, Jim Plannette, John S. Robertson, Dean Williams, Ron Kunecke, Stan McClain, Egon Stephan Jr.
Casting Department	Barbara L. Roche, Sean Susanin, Catherine Jane Holzer, Mark A. Ridge
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Armand Coutu, Jennifer Jobst, Cathy Newport-Logan, Gina Panno
Editorial Department	Rose Kuo, Michael S. Murphy, Ed O Malley, Steve Kraus
Location Management	Betsy Bottando, Eileen McCahill, Al Neal, Herman Trent
Music Department	Gary Chang, Todd Hayen, Michael Hoenig, David Kershenbaum, Jackie Krost, Richard Whitfield
Script and Continuity Department	Dru Anne Carlson
Transportation Department	Armand Paoletti, Mike Robinson
Additional Crew	Rosemary East, Robert Easton, Don Herion, Laura M. Kemp, Mark R. Lindsay, Robin Matthews, Margaret J. Orlando, Tony Pacheco, Susan Pickett, Edna Tromans, Carol Trost, Robert Bernacchi, James Anthony Caruso, Steve Kraus
Genres	Action, Crime, Drama
Companies	Lorimar Film Entertainment
Countries	USA
Languages	English
ContentRating	R
ImDbRating	5.8
ImDbRatingVotes	12142
MetacriticRating	53
Keywords	six shooter,modern western,cowboy,cowboy hat,desert eagle