Kill List
Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Neil Maskell, Harry Simpson, MyAnna Buring
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: R
Showtimes at PIFF: Complete PIFF Schedule
PLOT: Needing the money, a hitman (Maskell) takes a new assignment promising a big payoff. Each target becomes more horrific, and he puts himself, his partner and his family in jeopardy.
WHO'S IT FOR? It's part action, part horror, part domestic squabbling. Mainly though, it's dark and sadistic. Does that sounds like your cup of tea? It's playing at midnight during PIFF and that's the perfect place for it.
OVERALL
Sometimes, chaos is more important than any questions being answered. That's the case Kill List makes and they've done a pretty good job with it.
Chaos is everywhere in this film, from the camera techniques, horrific imagery, terrifying music and even the dialogue. Actually, the dialogue is only chaotic to my American ear. This film is heavy on accent just like Layer Cake and Trainspotting. I sincerely feel I missed at least 20 percent of the back and forth between Jay (Maskell), Shel (Buring) and Sam (Harry Simpson). While I am (and my ear) to blame for that, I did wish the screener I watched came armed with subtitles.
At first Kill List seems to be about the anger of a couple. Then, about 20 minutes into the film there is a "What the hell" moment involving Sam's girlfriend. No need to get into details here, but it was such an odd/intriguing thing that I couldn't think of anything else for a while. It actually made me distant from the film and the first kill on the hit list. I couldn't quite focus until things were resolved with that girlfriend. Or so I thought. Kill List has a way of making you focus, and that's by going off the deep end with Jay. There is a weird anti-hero quality to him, where I found myself liking him more the more violent he becomes. Fantastic horror elements come screaming out of the film with odd pig noises and a dark tunnel being my favorite.
The Priest The Librarian The M.P. The Hunchback
That's the list. If you haven't seen the film, don't worry, I hate spoilers and don't feel like I've given anything away. If you've seen Kill List, that list should be sending a shiver down your spine right about now.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10