Film Title
Kill List
Director
Ben Wheatley
Cast
- Neil Maskell as Jay
- Michael Smiley as Gal
- MyAnna Buring as Shel
- Emma Fryer as Fiona
A brutal, bleak and unexpected British thriller, Kill List is a film that makes you think that you have figured everything out, and then completely turns this idea on its head. The overall film makes for uncomfortable, unflinching and thought-provoking viewing, that will leave you pondering when the credits have finished.
Jay is a recovering soldier turned contract killer, who is haunted after an unspecified job in Kiev. With money running low and his waspish wife Shel nagging him to take on another job in order to provide for his family, Jay reluctantly does so with his best friend and former soldier Gal. They are assigned a job of killing three men, in what at first appears to be a simple enough job. As the duo descents deeper into the task, an ominous shadow hangs over them as horror surrounding various events is revealed to them. What follows on is a mix of hitman thriller and shocking horror as Jay attempts to discover the strange enigmas surrounding the hits they are supposed to commit.
As I’ve mentioned before the film veers into horror territory but not in the traditional sense. Rather than jump scares, the film examines the horror of one man’s daily life and the dire consequences arising from doing his normal job. His descent into confusion is amplified by sinister music, the sound of an eerie whistled tune sending shivers down the spine. Also thrown into the mix of genres is family drama, as we witness Jay’s strained and capricious relationship with his wife and the effects it has. This is what makes the film so interesting, the mixing of genres and turning what we think might happen into something completely unexpected. Viewers be warned that once the film goes into thriller territory the events become very brutal and sometimes hard to watch. When it moves into horror, you won’t know what has hit you as it is that shocking and unforeseeable.
The three central performances add immediate impact to the story. Neil Maskell embodies the confused and unpredictable character of Jay, as an audience we never know what his character may be capable of as he plays the part so well. Smiley adds darkly comedic action to the narrative as his best friend who becomes concerned for him as they delve deeper into the case. MyAnna Buring is equally effective as Shel, who is both capricious and curious towards the case and Jay himself.
Aided by an almost documentary style of shooting and sinister use of sound, Kill List will chill you and leave you shocked at its many turns before a shocking climax emerges. Believe me, it is a film that will stay in your head for a long time after viewing it.
Tyson Carter said:
I was so excited to see this, but felt so disappointed when it finished. I hated the end, you know, it just built up and I kept waiting for a great reveal, and then it came and everything was ruined.
Nice write up though Vinnie, seems you liked it more than I did 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. Thanks for the comment, it certainly seems to be a film that divides opinion.
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Mark Walker said:
Still can’t decide on the ending man. I don’t know if it was entirely fitting or pretentious, desperate nonsense. Either way, though, I still really enjoyed the build up and it’s sense of atmosphere was perfectly delivered. Nice write-up here Vinnie.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, yeah the ending certainly is not expected, it definately caught me by surprise.
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GaryLee828 said:
Ok, I am not read this review to avoid any kind of spoilers; but I will try to watch the movie soon and get back and offer my opinion.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, hope you get to see it soon.
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GaryLee828 said:
I started watching it online, but it’s hard for me to hear their vocals; I’m going to have to find a cheap DVD copy with subtitles.
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GaryLee828 said:
Ok, I watched it last night; i need to watch it again to decide if I like it or not. lol. The ending was pretty surprising, but another viewing is needed for me to get a better perspective. Overall, i think i liked it more than not. Is definitely a good recommendation, and review. 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for your comments, it definitely is a film that is very surprising and unexpected.
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Better than imdb said:
As a Brit I sometimes feel that these type of movies are given a tick in Hollywood based on the genre and the accent.
I heard all the hype before hand but the movie did not live up to it in any way,the style was dreary and the dialogue was nothing special,forget the ending the whole film was rubbish.
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emmakwall said:
I LOVE Kill List! I didn’t realise you’d reviewed this you dark kitten 🙂
The ending really disappointed me when I first watched it. Yeah it was horrible and brutal and shocking but I hated the ambiguity. I have done loads of internet digging and come to a pretty good conclusion that I’m satisfied with.
I’m a huge fan of Ben Wheatley!!!
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vinnieh said:
It is quite a divisive film, or that’s what I’ve found when I’ve spoke to people about it.
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emmakwall said:
It’s still brilliant though and I meant to say I agreed with you about Michael Smiley, I found his character very (darkly) funny too.
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vinnieh said:
He just had that humour that was quite morbid.
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emmakwall said:
The “Dear John” note.
🙂
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vinnieh said:
That was hysterical. ‘She left a ‘Dear John’ letter taped to me cock’.
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emmakwall said:
I loved his character!
*spoilers*
I was gutted when he died.
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vinnieh said:
I was gutted too. He was so funny, that Dear John line really made me laugh. I kept thinking that it must have hurt having that taped to your member.
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