Most of my reviews are long but this I'm going to keep as short because I think you really benefit from going into this film as blind as possible. I'm not going to say much about the story or even compare it to any other film as that in itself would give away part of the beauty of the film. The only thing I will do is send a warning that this is a very brutal film and does require quite a strong stomach. I had been waiting for this one for a while as was interested to see if it would live up to all the hype it was generating on the festival circuit. Well I can say it more than managed to in my mind. I found director Ben Wheatley's first feature Down Terrace only mildly interesting and nothing special but this is a big step up being one of the most powerfully emotional cinema experiences I've recently had.
The film is simply - but fittingly - shot with much of it in that hand-held documentary style giving a 'real' feel to the proceedings. The story is actually pretty simple too – to start with anyway. Two war buddies turn to dubious jobs to help pay the rent and things get out of hand is the general gist. But the film is also so much more than those expectations of a run of the mill Brit gangster flick being a thriller, tense drama and of course horror too and as for the ending well you'll just have to wait and see.
I found the characters believable and sympathetic even when events take a turn for the worse. Much of this is down to the quality of the acting which is pitched perfectly. Of course the acting only works if you have the script to support it and in this case it does. The banter between the two main characters is wonderful and so black it has you laughing at the most inappropriate moments. But its also believable, it's the kind of back and forth you have with oldest friends – rude, un-PC, funny and just very real.
The acting and the script combine well to help maintain the tension produced from the beginning in the opening scenes. We see these people should be a tight circle of family and friends but also given clues that maybe it's not all that rosy. A little comment here, a little frown there could be missed but all help undermine what we think we know about these people. And what about the mysterious Kiev incident? The violence in the film is very full on and up there with some of the Asia extreme cinema but also very cleverly done. Much of it adheres to a Scorsese school of violence - there is not violence continually through the film and when it does take place it's brutal, messy and then normality returns. The settings of these acts are everyday – kitchens, parking lots – that look like places we all know, not some unattached and unidentifiable place. It is partly this that I think makes it all so jarring. Another technique used around the violence is long takes. Usually with a brutal moment the film will cut to a close-up or a view where the dummy can then be unrecognised. Here however the shots follow the actor to a point where you think 'I know what might happen next but surely it can't as I know that is the actor' And then it does happen! Sound is well used and while the soundtrack is minimal the tone and emotion of scenes are carried extremely well through the sound design. At no time is it intruding into the story or has the feeling of 'here's a filler bit of music while we look at the scenery' – exactly as a soundtrack should be. Here again there is also intelligent editing ramping up the tension and then suddenly jolting back to normality. Top marks here.
It's not without its faults however. Some of the scenes could have been tightened up and I found the ending a little unsatisfying. I have seen moans it was confusing or left-field but I don't agree, I just found it lacking a little clarity as if it didn't quite know itself how to end. There are a few narrative jumps I didn't like (that I won't spoil by putting in) but parts were made to be a big deal and then once arrived had an air of 'oh well, lets get on with it anyway' making for a juddery inconsistent flow.
These are all minor irritants though. I came out of the cinema totally exhausted by Kill List - I found it emotionally tough to watch with the violence but found myself so drawn into the experience that by the time the crazy finale begins I was rapt. I think I've marked it up a bit too partly due to seeing it on the big screen with deafening sound, I'm not so sure it will work as well on the small screen. I saw a reviewer elsewhere liken it to Dead Man's Shoes and while they are narratively very different it's a good parallel I think – if you enjoyed that then you would love this . (Actually Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur was a trailer at my viewing and looks good too.) At the end of the film some people applauded while other gave a WTF laugh but I defy anyone not to be emotional jolted by this.
Hmmm this didn't turn out to be a short review after all! 8 out of 10
The film is simply - but fittingly - shot with much of it in that hand-held documentary style giving a 'real' feel to the proceedings. The story is actually pretty simple too – to start with anyway. Two war buddies turn to dubious jobs to help pay the rent and things get out of hand is the general gist. But the film is also so much more than those expectations of a run of the mill Brit gangster flick being a thriller, tense drama and of course horror too and as for the ending well you'll just have to wait and see.
I found the characters believable and sympathetic even when events take a turn for the worse. Much of this is down to the quality of the acting which is pitched perfectly. Of course the acting only works if you have the script to support it and in this case it does. The banter between the two main characters is wonderful and so black it has you laughing at the most inappropriate moments. But its also believable, it's the kind of back and forth you have with oldest friends – rude, un-PC, funny and just very real.
The acting and the script combine well to help maintain the tension produced from the beginning in the opening scenes. We see these people should be a tight circle of family and friends but also given clues that maybe it's not all that rosy. A little comment here, a little frown there could be missed but all help undermine what we think we know about these people. And what about the mysterious Kiev incident? The violence in the film is very full on and up there with some of the Asia extreme cinema but also very cleverly done. Much of it adheres to a Scorsese school of violence - there is not violence continually through the film and when it does take place it's brutal, messy and then normality returns. The settings of these acts are everyday – kitchens, parking lots – that look like places we all know, not some unattached and unidentifiable place. It is partly this that I think makes it all so jarring. Another technique used around the violence is long takes. Usually with a brutal moment the film will cut to a close-up or a view where the dummy can then be unrecognised. Here however the shots follow the actor to a point where you think 'I know what might happen next but surely it can't as I know that is the actor' And then it does happen! Sound is well used and while the soundtrack is minimal the tone and emotion of scenes are carried extremely well through the sound design. At no time is it intruding into the story or has the feeling of 'here's a filler bit of music while we look at the scenery' – exactly as a soundtrack should be. Here again there is also intelligent editing ramping up the tension and then suddenly jolting back to normality. Top marks here.
It's not without its faults however. Some of the scenes could have been tightened up and I found the ending a little unsatisfying. I have seen moans it was confusing or left-field but I don't agree, I just found it lacking a little clarity as if it didn't quite know itself how to end. There are a few narrative jumps I didn't like (that I won't spoil by putting in) but parts were made to be a big deal and then once arrived had an air of 'oh well, lets get on with it anyway' making for a juddery inconsistent flow.
These are all minor irritants though. I came out of the cinema totally exhausted by Kill List - I found it emotionally tough to watch with the violence but found myself so drawn into the experience that by the time the crazy finale begins I was rapt. I think I've marked it up a bit too partly due to seeing it on the big screen with deafening sound, I'm not so sure it will work as well on the small screen. I saw a reviewer elsewhere liken it to Dead Man's Shoes and while they are narratively very different it's a good parallel I think – if you enjoyed that then you would love this . (Actually Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur was a trailer at my viewing and looks good too.) At the end of the film some people applauded while other gave a WTF laugh but I defy anyone not to be emotional jolted by this.
Hmmm this didn't turn out to be a short review after all! 8 out of 10
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