Kentucky native Truman Gates (Patrick Swayze) is a Chicago cop married to violinist Jessie (Helen Hunt). His younger brother Gerald (Bill Paxton) follows him to Chicago but is killed by Joey Rosselini (Adam Baldwin). Joey is trying to take over the Isabella crime family. Briar Gates (Liam Neeson) arrives from Kentucky to seek revenge for brother Gerald.

This is the hillbillies versus the mob. It is stupid at times but also gritty good at other times. Patrick Swayze does a good job as a guy trying to straddle two worlds. Liam Neeson is surprisingly convincing as the redneck. I was on the fence for much of the movie. Then we got the final ridiculous shoot-out. I had to take one point away for all that stupidity in the cemetery.

Shot on location in Chicago, Next Of Kin is about a culture clash between two groups that are known for longstanding vendettas. They would be the Sicilian Mafia and the hillbillies of the Appalachians.

Patrick Swayze is one of three brothers of whom the youngest, Bill Paxton, is killed after organized crime takes over a trucking firm he was a driver for. They killed the wrong guy because in addition to being Paxton's brother, Swayze is also a Chicago police detective.

Of course Swayze has to operate within the parameters of the law. That's not the case for the oldest brother Lian Neeson. He comes to Chicago just looking for them that did the deed.

Andreas Katsulas is the Mafia crime family head and he's got an idiot son played by Ben Stiller whom he turns over to enforcer Adam Baldwin to learn the business. Stiller goes right to the top of the criminal food chain with Baldwin when he and Baldwin kill Paxton. But Baldwin is a survivor and he'll do whatever it takes to survive.

The showdown between hillbillies and Mafioso takes place with a cemetery at night serving as the OK Corral. It's quite a battle and justice is served if not the law.

Next Of Kin is your routine action film, but it does have one thing going for it that I have to praise. The hillbillies are real people here, they're not the Clampetts of Beverly Hills nor the mouth breathers from Deliverance. I'm glad that the producers avoided stereotyping them which would have been easy. Swayze is a good action hero and his leading lady is Helen Hunt who as Mrs. Swayze in the film is not given all that much to do.

Fans of the late Patrick Swayze will be very happy with Next Of Kin.

I chose this movie for a report in my Communications class. I have seen it several times but looking at it from a different angle this time, I saw the development of Swayze's character or his return to his family roots. However you want to look at it. The first time I saw this movie I was blown away by Liam Neeson's portrayal of Briar Gates, he brings his character to life as much as any actor as ever brought a character to life in any movie. Years later when I discovered that Liam was british my opinion of his acting abilities skyrocketed. My favorite quote in the movie was by Liam, "My name is Briar Gates and I want the man that kilt my brother." In print it doesn't sound like much but when he delivers it, this quote is truly amazing.