Movies.ie

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• Currently 4/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

 We first meet couple Jay (Maskell) and Shel (Buring) as they engage in a little domestic blitz, their argument more than just the usual money worries. Ex-military and now contract killers, eight months earlier, Jay goofed up a job in Kiev, and when buddy Gal (Smiley) invites his old mucker along to wipe out a threesome for an unknown employer, he smells redemption. Only trouble is, their targets turn increasinly dark (child pornography, anyone?), and Jay follows suit with his killings...

THE VERDICT: Following in the fine British tradition of smart, violent thrillers, and a fitting addition to such relatively recent outings as Gangster No.1 and London To Brighton, Ben Wheatley's great big leap from television (Ideal, The Wrong Door, Time Trumpet) and a so-so feature debut (Down Terrace) just about lives up to the hype (corporate cocksuckers Total Film gave it the full five stars). It may share a little of Mr. & Mrs Smith's DNA, but this is no slick magazine shoot. The cast are all ugly enough to kill, and be killed. Which just adds to the increasingly unbearable tension.

Review by Paul Byrne 

• Avg User rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  masonica

  

  Taking the tired british staple of gritty crime and infusing some crazy "David Lynch" weirdness. Kill List makes for decidedly uncomfortable yet strangely compelling viewing. The film takes some dark twisted turns and never shies away from the grotesquely violent world it inhabits. Kill List is a film which haunts, shocks and stays with the viewer. Still can't say if it was an enjoyable film but a film that is worth seeing.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  I went to see a preview of this movie last night thanks to the fantastic movies.ie and i really enjoyed it, i actually can’t wait to see it again, my girlfriend on the other hand hated it. But i think that’s what you will get with this movie, you will either love it or hate it. The film is mostly a gangster movie with some horror thrown in and this is a really good idea, it has elements of so many other films here too, ones i can’t mention as it will give the story away and ruin it for you, but is also original too in its own way. In Kill List we meet Jay and Shel a couple who are married but on the brink of separation and in money difficulty due to the recession. Jay hasn’t worked in a while and it is affecting the family, the two are great at acting here and really come across like a real couple who are going through the mill. Then we meet Jays best friend Gal who asks Jay does he want to do one last job, so he accepts and the two set off. We find out then that the two lads are actually two hired hit men and they have been given this kill list by a weird businessman. The men start picking off their victims then, but as they do, more and more weird stuff happens, Jay sees at one stage Gals strange girlfriend waving to him from across a road in the middle of the night, but nothing is said like it was a dream. And earlier on in the movie when Gal and his girlfriend visited Jays house Gals girlfriend Fryer went to the bathroom and on the back of Jays bathroom mirror scraped a pagan symbol on the back of it and there was a tissue with blood on it in the bathroom that she kept too! very strange! Later when the two lads are about to kill another victim the guy Jay is about to kill says Thank you to him, Jay is starting to get freaked out now at this stage and he wants to give up on the list, but is told he can’t by the businessman or he too will be killed so him and Gal have to suck it up and must go on. I can’t say much more about this film as i don’t want to give anything away, its good though and the reaction of the other people in the cinema last night was shock and just wow did that just happen. That’s all ill say. Also be warned, the violence here is very graphic in parts and it’s not for the faint hearted.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  &IKnowMovies

  

  From the outset my stomach was gripped, never truly understanding why but I’m blaming the cinematography & score. Time lapse, overlaying scenes and music that seemed to jar with what was on screen at all times each served to jangle the nerves. Part of its brilliance was, genuinely, not knowing what was going to happen next. You’re brought from terror to laughter within seconds. Disconcertion at its best. The relationship between the two hit men was brilliantly scripted and beautifully played out. The dialogue so sharp and at times jaw achingly funny married with constant pace changes meant that it almost seemed voyeuristic watching their story play out. As if we were privy to conversations that have actually happened, that the camera had caught snippets of their reality. It was an enormous feat for Ben Wheatley to make you feel for these men having seen the outrageously graphic violence that they perpetrate. I caught one glimpse & covered my eyes but there was no cutaway – my Bro watched every scene and all I could hear from behind my hand was a whispered expletive with many, many vowels. As the film thunders toward its conclusion there is no let up either visually or audibly. Anybody that tells you they knew the ending from the outset is a filthy liar. Anybody that reveals anything of the plot or conclusion is no friend of yours & should be ignored henceforth. Kill List is the most original film I have ever seen there are no comparisons and no influences evident and that, to me, is praise enough to get you to see this film. Having seen the extended trailer at Movie Fest I was intrigued, once the final credits rolled even more so. This one will stay with me for quite some time.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  andyparhelia

  

  Absolutely bizarre movie, mental. Total WTF ending that left the cinema very quiet! I found it thoroughly enjoyable though and it's easy enough to follow up until the last third when things start to come together. It has some seriously violent scenes, very graphic, coupled with lots af dark comedy and an unnerving soundtrack. It's definitely one of a kind and therefore worth checking out.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  DarrenM

  

  Kill List is a mess of a movie. It starts weak, with an overly padded introduction that seems to have been over-edited, scenes frequently jumping and cutting before we can build any real connection with the characters. This would be grand, if the whole introductory sequence (involving financial woe, and an awkward dinner party) didn't feel so pointlessly long in the first place. It's a shame, because when the movie gets down to the central plot, it's actually quite interesting. All manner of questions about the nature of contract killing are raised - and the movie portrays evil as an infection seeping through an open wound. It's this middle-section where the film seems to find its feet and looks like we might be in for a treat. It's always fascinating to watch characters provide self-justification for unspeakable deeds, and the movie has a wonderfully raw "video nasty" feel to it, with tonnes of unnecessary gory effects that help build to an "underground" sort of feeling. However, this middle section is all too brief and then we end up with a rather mundane conclusion, that seems to demand the utmost surprise and awe. The final sequence in particular, is easy to predict once the titlecard flashes on the screen, but there's no depth or interest to it. The mvoie seems to be trying merely to shock. The decision to keep the source of the contract and the motivations behind it as some form of secret works well in the middle of the film, where it allows for a look at the weird disengagement that these killers have from the violence they do (and then that wall very quickly breaks down), but it doesn't add anything to a completely pointless ending. If the audience had even a slight hint of the "reconstruction" work our leads are working on might be, the ending might carry more resonance or have any sort of impact. As it stands, the film is a solid idea trapped between a boring opening half-hour and a disappointing closing two minutes.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Finnc315

  

  Three words crossed my mind as the credits began to roll at the end of this film: What, the and f**k. As in, what the f**k did I just watch? I don't know yet whether is is a good or a bad thing. I won't be forgetting the experience soon, which, I suppose, can be counted as a positive thing. The film starts off with the standard "good guy with bad career does one last job to sort his family out" motif, and it manages it quite well. Neil Maskell plays Jay, an ex-military man, who, since Iraq, has had to use his skills in less than legal circumstances. MyAnna Buring plays Shel, Jay's Sweedish, ex-militrary wife. Jay and Shel are having trouble making ends meet, and this is straining their relationship. During a fantastically destructive dinner party, Gal, an old friend and partner in crime of Jay (played by Michael Smiley) convinces him to take on one last job, a list of three would-be victims, all to help out the family. The film is divided into chapters that coincide with the progression of their list (The Priest, The Librarian, The M.P., The Hunchback), but as they advance through the list, they begin to realise that it is not as straightforward as they first thought. It is here, however, that things being to take a turn for the strange, victims begin to thank Jay for killing them, a violent pornography ring (just how violent is never revealed to us, thankully) sends Jay into a downward spiral, causing him to stray from the list and enect his own "justice", all while being shadowed by the ethereal-seeming Fiona, Gal's ex-girlfriend who installs herself into Jay's life. While Maskell and Buring, as man and wife, are an integral part of this film, it is the relationship between Jay and Gal that steals the show. Gal tries to be an angel on Jay's shoulder, steering him towards being a better person (despite being the one to convince Jay to become a hitman again), and the viewer really gets the sense that these two have seen a lot together. The highlight of the film, however, is the violence. Not in a Saw or Hostel-type gore fest, but the prosthetics and make-up departments out-do themselves to make this as realistic as possible. However, this might ever be a bit over the top, there were a few snickers heard during a particular scene involving a hammer. The film is at it's most successful when it plays to the tune of Hitman seeking redemption but it is during the final act the the whole story begins to unravel and leaves us asking "Why?" While it was hinted at during the film, not enough is done to stem the shock of the ending. As I have said before, I am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing, but given that the film, at times, takes itself very seriously I would have to go with the former. What could have been a very good attempt at a hitman film was marred by an ending, the meaning of which still escapes me.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  vu1999uk

  

  I would not say I enjoyed this film, more that I experienced it. Its a wonderfully dark thriller that set up tension brilliantly throughout, although there are some nice pieces of humour as well (as well as some very brutal and disturbing scenes). It's just a head trip from the start with a great nightmarish feel. And the finale is one of the best I've seen in a long while, and will certainly leave you thinking.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  filmbuff2011

  

  In recent years, British horror has featured a new sub-genre: hoodie horror like Eden Lake. Now another sub-genre could be added with Kill List: hitman horror. Kill List is a well directed and acted thriller with sudden bursts of violence that are more disturbing than gratuitous. There's a pervading sense of menace throughout the film, which takes a sharp turn to the left in the third act... This is where the film has the most impact and leaves a lasting memory. It's definitely one of the more intriguing horror films out this year. Recommended.