Brutal but baffling, this is a disappointing mixed bag
Screenwriters: Ben Wheatley and
Amy Jump
Cast: Neil Maskell, MyAnna
Buring, Michael Smiley and Emma Fryer
Plot: Jay and Gal are two hitmen
who take on a job to kill three men. The list is bizarre, the people on it
being apparently unlinked, nor appearing to have done anything wrong. However,
as they begin their killings, they become aware that they are into something
far bigger, twisted and dangerous than they could have suspected.
Running Time: 95m 26s
Certificate: 18 - Contains very strong bloody violence
One of the most effectively
marketed films of the year, Kill List
seems to be most akin to Shane Meadows’ Dead
Man’s Shoes, a brutal and emotional revenge film, made on a shoestring but
producing tremendous atmosphere.
Kill List is not a revenge film. In fact, it defies such definition,
looking like a hitman film at first, but, even in the very early stages of the
film, there are suggestions that this may not be what it seems. In the opening,
unpleasant dinner party scene, there is a brief cutaway to show a guest carving
an enigmatic symbol into the back of a mirror. Expect the unexpected – you’ll
have no idea where this story is headed.
