Review of Kill List (2011) by Thomas B — 07 Jan 2018

****.

'Kill List' is certainly a challenging film, no doubt about it. What appears to be an entertaining, if disturbing hitman movie ends up as something completely and dramatically different. Yet, when Ben Wheatley's divisive film takes its drastic turn, I was so invested from the rest of the movie up until that point that I went on board with it. And that in itself is an achievement. The performances are absolutely brilliant from everyone involved, particularly Michael Smiley who is completely lovable as the best-friend sidekick, and the script is undeniably well-written. As for the ending, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I like parts of it, but at the same time kinda wish the movie had stayed believable. Then again, it certainly sets it apart from other hitmen movies, and I was gripped out of curiosity to find out what was going on. You never really do find out, but the journey to that point was good enough that I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Worth checking out for sure.