Review of Kill List (2011) by Robert L — 22 Jan 2012

A diamond in the rough.

It's taken me a long time to digest Kill List fully, I watched it more than a week ago and it's still affecting me now. It is a film that has true power locked inside it's dark heart; a movie that will shake us to our core and bone.

It's taken me longer than usual to review Kill List because I didn't expect the movie I got, the film begins immediately, it carries no warnings, the film simply begins, and from the opening bell to the closing credits there is conflict. Kill List introduces us to 2 main characters, Jay (who seems to be a retired door to door salesman) and Shel, his wife. There is only one other main character to speak of in the form of Jay's best mate Gal. However, when Jay and Shel, have a dinner party and invite Gal to attend he brings with him a job offer that sounds to good to be true. This is only how our story begins, I won't say any more here because one of the best things about Kill List is it's shock value, but needless to say things are not as they seem.

OK so what can I say about Kill List? I can say it draws strong influences from other vintage British horror movies, I can say that it's a hybrid of supernatural thriller and physiological thriller, I can say that it has a British tone written all over it, and I can say that it's very, very nasty.

I think what enhances Kill List's tension is that it never moves away from it, there is no breathing room or space to move in Kill List, it is a full on straight ahead ride, and as soon as you start watching, it's taking you with it, like it or not. I know you're thinking "just turn the film off?" but truly, it's far too gripping to not stay till the end. Even the closing credits are creepy.

I should say that the film is very open ended, so much so that there is much discussion online about what actually happens in the film, while I first found this frustrating I eventually came round to thinking that this is a very clever idea; to invent a feature that keeps the audience guessing while they watch it and after.

In fairness the film is beautifully shot and amazingly acted, it's a movie that has it's head on at all times, knows what it's aims are and where it's going to. The entire film is simply a build to the final scene, which is really how all films should be, they should only reach their climax at their finale, I've seen many a good film screw this up and show it's best scene in the centre when it believes the audience might start to lose interest but Kill List doesn't do that, it knows it knows it's got you, it carries confidence.

Rarely have I seen a film that I would consider had captured true evil, but that's what Ben Wheatley has done, he has created a movie that shows true and real evil, not the supernatural kind (however there is that element to the story).

Kill List is a truly nasty film, if you see it, it will effect you, power is a rare thing in cinema and Kill List has it in spades. Gripping, malicious, and evil.