Article by FisterRoboto of lefthandhorror.com
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Written by Ben Wheatley & Amy Jump
Starring: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, and Harry Simpson
Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
This film was highly recommended to me by so many people with opinions I respect; I finally had to sit down and watch it tonight. I knew nothing about this film, save it was about a hired killer afforded a new chance after a botched job. I heard it called everything from riveting to emotionally resonate, obviously I had to see it. I’m happy to say Kill List takes an original idea and delivers it with fury and trauma.
The opening moments led me into a false sense that this was going to be a movie about a fractured relationship and the slow and cliché unraveling process between husband and wife. Be patient with the slow start because I promise you this slow burn will become a five alarm blaze. Jay (Maskell) and his friend, Gal (Smiley), are two hired killers who work from a Kill List. Marked on the kill folder and throughout the film is a mysterious symbol that ends up being a big part of the setup.
A huge selling point for me was the dramatic nuance aimed at horror fans that have grown tired of predictably generic plots and wild twists. There is no twist to this film, but the overall theme is undeniable. The phrase “nerve shredding” is mentioned on the poster, but I never really got to that point. The brilliant delivery of the film is certainly intense and disturbing when it comes to emotion and violence; a necessary component to be sure. I was never revolted by the kills, if anything, the score was putting me on the edge of a panic attack. The way it’s filmed and scored bring some of the real terror the surface – making my heart pound in time with my subwoofer.
Do not miss The Kill List. This is no average or predictable horror film; the true terror of this film will creep into your very bones. Sometimes things are just simply what they are.
