Review of May I Kill U? (2013) by Baxter P — 03 Jan 2013

Well made British black comedy thriller about bicycle cop Barry Vartis, i.e. Baz (Kevin Bishop) dispatching his own form of vigilante justice on Britain's streets. Suffering from extreme migraines after being targeted by a gang of youths, Baz takes the law into his own hands, offering his victims the choice of arrest or death before uploading his victims' demises onto the the internet, where he develops a cult following as a result of his new found philosophy.

While the film's dark moments are delightfully intertwined with elements of comedy and irony, it maintains a very real feel to it, tackling prevalent and contemporary issues such as social media and instant online celebrity in a modern and pertinent context.

Still living at home with his mother, Bernice (Frances Barber), she persistently derides him for being a 'cycling bobby', while his personal and unconventional relationship with colleague Val (Hayley-Marie Axe) provides some weirdly wonderful moments.

However, as Baz's popularity soars, so does his fallibility to exposure, and an enraged relative of a presumed 'kill' of Baz's decides to take matters into his own hands. Faced with a set of challenging and seemingly bizarre personal and social circumstances, Baz is not the completely emotionless psychopath viewers may expect, and this in-depth, fascinating character study reveals that there is a degree of emotion behind his malevolent exterior.

Delicately and effectively balancing aspects of black comedy and thriller, May I Kill U? is a very watchable and enjoyable Brit-flick.