‘Kicked In The Head’ Feels A Lot Like One

An across-the-board absence of sympathetic or even interesting characters makes Matthew Harrison’s “Kicked in the Head” feel more like well, more like a kick in the head than an entertaining movie.

The New York-lensed maverick picture is too relentless to be called dull, but its frenzied pace and its waste of an impressive cast cause “Kicked” to fall short in all departments.

Kevin Corrigan plays Redmond, a nightmare-plagued nobody whose existence is made up entirely of idle moments and manic misbehavior. He’s on “a voyage of self-discovery,” he claims, but he also admits to a self-destructive streak.

The closest he comes to productive behavior is keeping a journal of inept poetry and half-baked philosophizing.

When entrusted with an errand by his crooked Uncle Sam (James Woods), Redmond deliberately bungles the job but claims to have performed it to satisfaction and invites the wrath of a small-change gangster (Burt Young).

There is also some pointless slapstick violence involving an illegal beer-distributing racket and a raid by rival hoodlums.

Corrigan and director Harrison are the writers of this muddle, which seems tailored to indulge Corrigan’s knack for making grotesque faces and overreacting.

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“Kicked in the Head” Location: Lincoln Heights Credits: Directed by Matthew Harrison, starring Kevin Corrigan, Linda Fiorentino, James Woods Rating: R