KILL LIST
Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Written by: Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump
Starring: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Michael Smiley, Emma Fryer, and Harry Simpson
Every now and again, a special film comes along that so polarizes the film community that it sparks many heated debates from knowledgeable film enthusiasts. Last year’s THE TREE OF LIFE undoubtedly qualifies in that category and now this year we have the pitch-black, uber-violent chiller, KILL LIST. Some of you may have already caught the film when it made the rounds at last year’s AFI FEST, SXSW, and TIFF, but now it’s poised for wide release. It’s a pulse pounding thriller that sets its mood from the very beginning and should have legs or a cult following (no pun intended) especially with the midnight movie crowd. While it certainly is thought provoking – and will lead to much discussion and debate after it ends – it’s a muddled cocktail of trying to be too many genres all at once. You could call it the Long Island Iced Tea of genre filmmaking.
KILL LIST takes place eight months after Jay (Neil Maskell) botched a murder-for-hire gig in Kiev. He’s got no job, his finances are dwindling, and he and his insufferable cow of a wife, Shel (MyAnna Buring) are constantly bickering mostly over the non-existent funds. In order to support their son Sam (Harry Simpson) and the family’s lavish lifestyle (they need money for their vacation!), Jay is forced to get back together with his business partner Gal (played by Peter Stormare look-a-like, Michael Smiley) for one last assignment that promises a big payday. Jay seems reluctant to return to this dangerous profession, as he could potentially die on the job (again – wifey doesn’t care), which stirs up some audience sympathy to his plight. However, that sympathy is quickly lost after he tortures his second planned hit and then goes rogue, killing a dog and a few other random bad guys. Does this make Jay a good guy now as he’s doing an altruistic act of killing scumbags? Not really as he has that nutso violent streak in him already. It’s just been dampened by domesticity. Do the ends justify the means? Is this British director Ben Wheatley’s thinly veiled comment on America’s wartime torture policy? Just before you can yell, “spare me,” the film takes a screeching left hand turn.
KILL LIST has a wallop of a third act that will have audiences on the edge of their seats. The final twenty minutes left me feeling like I was punched in the chest repeatedly. Literally my chest was in pain throughout the end credits. However, beware as this is not a ringing endorsement for the film. The basic message is fairly obvious and succinct: If you’re violent, you bring violence upon yourself. The trouble is we’ve seen this done to better and more powerful effect in last year’s I SAW THE DEVIL.
As KILL LIST progresses, it leaves viewers in a state of confusion, with more questions than answers. Why is this happening to Jay? Who are these “bosses?” Is this the world’s longest gestating human guinea pig psychological experiment? Being elusive with simple details does not make a film smart, clever, or even terrifying. Actually quite the opposite. Answers – or more precisely the lack of them – are revealed in a maddening fashion. Unfortunately, since the story throws everything in but the kitchen sink toward the end, it’s neither fully effective at being a gripping hit man film, nor relationship drama, nor a fluid and compelling thriller. It completely overreaches its goal.
There are some shining spots in the brutally aggressive picture. When the duo meet with their new client, a rainbow is shown over their parked car signaling everything’s going to be all right – but really we know it’s not. Gal and Jay’s friendship also seemed real and honest which is not just a credit to writers Wheatley and Amy Jump, but also speaks to the performances of Maskell and Smiley. And finally, music by Jim Williams sets the perfect mood with a stirring score very reminiscent of another truly terrifying film, THE SHINING.
On the basis of having a stimulating discussion about the movie with friends after, I would recommend seeing KILL LIST – but it’s far from a perfect film, so it’s a qualified recommendation.
KILL LIST is available now on VOD and opens theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on February 3.
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