Review of Kill List (2011) by Jamie D — 09 Mar 2012

Deserves to be seen for its fantastic performances by Neil Maskell and MyAnna Buring. Once the film starts, you are instantly drawn into their world and complicated relationship, which is a sign of good writing aswell as acting. Michael Smiley also does a stunning job as Gal, Jay's best friend and business partner. The brutal violence in the film is unnerving and really doesn't hold back, which is one of it's highlights.

Nevertheless, the film is majorly flawed. It may just be because the film is way too overhyped by film critics and such, but I never felt the film amounted to anything. I sat afterwards wondering; was there something I missed? There wasn't an overly shocking twist (a gruesome one however) and it seemed to end very abruptly. There are a couple of scenes which are genuinely jumpy and broodingly dark. One of them is the opening titles, which I was really impressed by. The insignia being scratched onto the black canvas, just like screeching chalk on a blackboard. The scene that I most enjoyed was the creepy sewer sequence, in which Jay and Gal try to escape through, from something that is better not said until you've seen it.

Overall, a decent film because of its performances and creepy atmosphere. Just don't expect the ending to be too satisfying.