Kill List review
More than ever it seems harder to walk into a movie and truly be surprised. Trailers, reviews and advance buzz make it almost impossible to watch a film without bringing in a set of expectations that can sometimes be hard to live up to. It’s hard to say if I would have felt differently about “Drive” (still my favorite film of 2011) had I not avoided all the spoiler-filled trailers which gave away many of the most surprising moments which made the initial viewing so thrilling. I tried to recreate that experience for as many people as I could telling friends, “Avoid all the trailers, just see the movie.” I find myself in a similar position with “Kill List,” a curious British film I saw a few weeks ago at a BAM screening.
The film had first come onto my radar after its SXSW debut where I read a few snippets that made it a must-see for me. The only bits I retained were “hit man drama,” “disturbing” and that it literally made one of the other writers at The Playlist feel sick afterwards. Like “Drive,” I decided to avoid the trailer until after I’d seen the film but unlike that film, the “Kill List” trailer is completely safe and even encouraged to view before seeing the film. It completely conveys the off-kilter, menacing tone without really giving anything away. The basic premise, without spoiling anything (promise), centers on a former soldier Jay (Neil Maskell) and his wife Shel (MyAnna Buring) also a former soldier who are strapped for cash raising their young son.
Possibly because of his experience in the military (or possibly because he might be a bit sociopathic) Jay now takes the occasional job as a contract killer with his buddy Gal (Michael Smiley). The couple’s financial situation motivates him to take another job even after their employer seems a bit off. The job has multiple targets, (hence “kill list”) and begins smoothly but become increasingly hairy as they enter further into this world. From there the story goes places you would never dream of from the outset. It’s violent without being gratuitous, (there are a few brutal moments but they’re well placed), the score is ominous and extremely creepy and the performances are all naturalistic and pitch perfect.
Writer/director Ben Wheatley has made such a confidently well crafted chiller that it’s hard to even describe the genre without giving something away. If you’re a fan of thrillers or horror movies it’s definitely one of the most distinctive and indelible genre efforts I’ve seen in some time. Watch the trailer. Mark your calendars. Prepare yourself.
