Where to watch If Looks Could Kill
3 1/2 Stars
When Michael Corben, along with the rest of his high-school French class, set out for a trip to France, he runs headlong into international intrigue: Agent Michael Corbin has just been disposed of by the evil forces of Augustus Steranko. When it’s learned that Michael Corbin is alive and well, and still on his way to France, he’s beseiged by both the good guys and the bad guys. British Intelligence outfits him with a series of James-Bond-like gizmos, and Steranko sends more would-be assassins after him. Can Michael stop the evil Steranko’s plans for European domination?
Richard Grieco’s film career was not as successful as his high-profile T.V. endeavors, but 1991 was a helluva year for the actor/heartthrob. During that calendar year, Grieco appeared in both Mobsters and If Looks Could Kill, two of my favorite movies of the 1990s. These two films are never mentioned on lists of the decade’s best or retrospective podcasts, but both deserve a reevaluation. I recall sitting in the theater watching Kingsman (2015), and while that flick is much slicker, my mind kept wandering back to If Looks Could Kill. Grieco is well cast, if a bit too old, as the high school senior mistaken for a secret agent. With a few dollars for licensing, If Looks Could Kill could have been retitled as a live-action version of the Nineties cartoon James Bond Jr.
If Looks Could Kill pairs well with The Monster Squad, another movie written by Fred Dekker, one a loving homage to 1950s creature features and the other to 1960s spy thriller spoofs. The film earns its PG-13 rating with innuendo and a climactic action sequence featuring (cartoonish) violence. Grieco, overly made up in dark mascara, does have the looks and physique to have made a compelling action hero. In 1991, a slew of male actors were vying for the title of “next action star.” The apparent heirs were Seagal and Van Damme, but studios were also pushing Jeff Speakman, Ken Wahl, and more improbable choices, Richard Grieco and Patrick Dempsey. None of them could mount notable big-screen careers, but I’ll also be grateful to the decade that gave us numerous failed attempts to launch action franchises like this.
Directed by: William Dear
Written by: Fred Dekker, Darren Star
Starring: Richard Grieco, Linda Hunt, Roger Rees