Very surprised that the rating for this film has balanced out at 6.4 after twelve years (and that this will only be review no. 310). I don't even like Horror films but rated Kill List at 7-8/10 and fail to see how anyone could turn their nose up to this nasty, gritty little piece of work (many of the most recent reviews are a mystifying 1-3/10). It's psychological horror, rather than gore - although the 'hammer scene' is brutal and by all accounts still a production mystery - and, if the story elements weren't already disturbing enough, the brooding, menacing tension is amplified further by the haunting whistling, original sound design and jump editing style, which adds an intentionally rough edge to an already unpleasant mix. The cast are mostly strong, Neil Maskell powers it through from the first scene and the look on Gal's face in the car when the pair realise exactly what they've got themselves into says it all.
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alex-mott13 February 2023
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BJBatimdb9 September 2011The Kill List is totally brilliant - and absolute rubbish. More specifically, the first 75% of the movie is fantastic - sharply written, wonderfully acted, supremely directed, and filled with tension and realism.
And then it all goes wrong.
I'd heard a few reviews of this film before choosing to see it, and it irks me that not one of them revealed that the last quarter of The Kill List is so divorced from the first that it's like watching a different film altogether. It reminded me of Charlie Kaufman's brilliant Adaptation, where the lead character's idiot brother suddenly steps in to finish the movie. Hilarious in that case - mystifying in this.
Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump start by crafting a stunning examination of the family life of a suburban hit-man that makes The Sopranos look glitzy. Neil Maskell is unnerving as Jay, whose long hiatus from 'work' has led to constant fighting with his wife. Their son witnesses the discord, and the tension and humanity is palpable.
Then Jay is drawn back into doing a well-paid job by his old crony, Gal, and the plot starts to thicken. Gradually the low-key family realism gives way to a realism of a far nastier kind, coupled with sudden moments of real mystery and total surprise.
Wheatley layers the non-action with skill, and really knows how to ratchet up the intrigue. The three main characters are all very good, and even the smaller roles of the son and girlfriend are well played and brilliantly written. You get the feeling you are watching something very special unfold on screen, with no indication of how it will all be resolved. I am a hardened end-guesser and am often right, but with this movie I had NO IDEA where it was going, which is exciting and rare.
However, just as I was preparing for a stunning denouement with all the seemingly-impossible ends tied up, The Kill List turned an ankle and tripped into a ditch full of dung.
O. M. G.
I'm not into writing spoilers - even when the filmmakers have done more spoiling than I ever could in this case. Suffice to say that 'and then he woke up and it was all a dream' would have been a more credible ending, and would at least have made sense of SOME of the set up, instead of none of it at all.
If there was ever a progression of narrative here, it is lying somewhere on a cutting room floor, crying its eyes out at the wasted opportunity.
When the credits came up, there was a stunned silence in the packed cinema and someone turned to his mate and said:'That's the last time YOU choose the effing film'. Judging by the snorts of sympathetic laughter it caused, I'd say it was the best review I'd heard of The Kill List.
I've never been so disappointed by a film that promised so much.
EDITED TO GIVE TWO MORE STARS AS ONLY THE ENDING LET DOWN ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING MOVIES I'VE SEEN -
katyorr30 December 2011I happen to enjoy movies that don't give you everything through every shot and make sure that every viewer sees all the cues. Kill List is one of those movies. I also happen to enjoy movies that make me feel uncomfortable and invaded. Kill List is also one of those movies.
You can read the other reviews and such to get the plot line and all of that. This is not a movie where you get all the details of what the hell is going on. It's very intimate, close shots, overlapping audio, use of sound to create a very uncomfortable atmosphere. The movie is about human psychology and plays on psychology to get you to feel a certain way. There are no jumps and scare tactics. But this film is brutal and unforgiving.
I loved it. -
bob the moo21 January 2012Like everyone else watching this film, I had heard lots of good things about it, but at the same time I had heard that it was fairly full on and that Kermode made reference to a colleague feeling so overwhelmed by it that they thought they may have to go outside for a bit. Despite this I decided to watch it, not particular sure of what I was starting to watch. The film opens as a domestic drama with a dinner party full of tension and simmering emotions. A simple cut-away to the bathroom sees one of their guests carving a symbol on the back of their bathroom mirror – no explanation for this at this point, but it is only the start of things turning weird as the two men are hit men and head out on a simple job to do three kills.
It is hard to describe this film without spoilers – so I won't. Basically what follows is a narrative similar to The Wicker Man, where a "normal" guy doing a job finds out that he has been manipulated by a cult into one of their rituals but by the time he finds out he is too late. Like the Wicker Man, this is confirmed by the ritual taking horrific form at the end of the film. Except that it isn't that well explained, so you will need to go with it to a point and, when that still leaves you with questions, turn to the internet for help! Whatever happened in the previous job seems to have made the cult (who worship money, death and violence) notice Jay and mark him for the role of their leader or an anti-Christ. The "kills" they have him do are part of the ritual – right up to the last two. It is a very solid plot and because it unfolds so quickly, it will have you thinking over it for some time as you will be overtaken by it when you first watch.
The plot isn't the thing for me though – what makes it work so well is that the entire film is imbued with this sense of foreboding and lurking horror. OK you have some very brutal violence (I closed my eyes if honest) but this really uncomfortable sense of uncertainty is in everything from the friend's interactions to a dinner party, everything has simmering resentment and violence just below the surface; Jay may be sent over the edge by violent pornography (we assume) but you always feel like if it wasn't that it would have been something else. It is directed excellently, with this atmosphere constantly in mind – I watched it at home but I can imagine on the big screen in a dark room it must have worked even better. The cast are great and the dinner party is evidence to how natural and real they feel. Maskell is convincing but so is Buring. Smiley is a surprise in support (he will always be the bike messenger from Spaced to me) as he is really well pitched and controlled.
Kill List isn't as perfect as the critics all said, but it is no doubt an experience of a film with a solid plot and plenty to reflect on when the film violently and suddenly announces that it is finished and you'll need to put it together on your own time. Constantly in your face and constantly feeling oppressive, the film is weirder by the minute, horrifically violent in sporadic bursts, but overall it works in the way The Wicker Man worked. Ignore the hype (or you'll expect too much) and you'll find a really strong British horror movie that creeps under your skin long after it finishes. -
Leofwine_draca16 November 2012An odd, and oddly effective, mix of hit-man thriller and cult horror, KILL LIST is one of the most talked-about British horrors films in recent years. Imagine my surprise, then, to see it premiering on television a scant year after release, and of course I jumped at the chance to catch up with what is by all accounts a controversial little movie.
For the most part, KILL LIST works. It unsettles and creeps you out courtesy of lots of foreboding, ominous sequences (accompanied by music which is a little too overdone at times) punctuated by moments of stark and shocking violence. Writer/director Ben Wheatley does good to build the sense of mystery, keeping his character backgrounds shady and throwing in random clues that make little sense at the time but help build towards the feeling of something big as the climax approaches. It's also one of the nastiest mainstream films I've seen in a while, with one scene involving a hammer taking screen violence to a whole new level.
Sad, then, that the ending of this film is such a disappointment, an ambiguous tie-up that seems shoehorned in purely to provide a few more exploitative shocks instead of making any kind of sense whatsoever. The mystery is left just that, a mystery, and at times I was infuriated at the lack of resolution. The film also veers away from the modern day realism it has built beforehand to hark back to the Hammer Horror days of yesteryear. Not that I have a problem with Hammer films – I love them, but in their own time and quaint-ish setting. The all-too-familiar horror tropes of the climax just feel overdone, coincidentally almost exactly the same problem I had with another recent watch, THE LAST EXORCISM.
The cast acquit themselves well with the script, for the most part, and there's a level of kitchen sink-style authenticity to much of the dialogue; also some natural, unforced humour which offsets all the nastiness. Neil Maskell is very good when his lead character is asked to do the more disturbing things, although I never quite bought him as the family man he's shown to be at the outset. Michael Smiley is equally as good as Maskell's buddy and colleague, and the film's central pairing works very well indeed. Original British horror cinema, with life and style all of its own (not merely following Hollywood trends), has stalled somewhat in the last decade, but with the likes of KILL LIST we could be in for something of a renaissance -
Rockwell_Cronenberg25 December 2011This, ladies and gentleman, is how you make a thriller properly. These days it is such commonplace to try to knock the tension all the way up from the get-go with some sort of opening hook, that the film never has anywhere to build to. Kill List is a rarity of true genius, starting at a low level of domestic drama and slowly building itself darker and stronger until it reaches a place that I never in my wildest dreams expected it to go.
As with the best films of this breed, the premise is simple; due to financial crisis a hit-man must take on another job where he is required to kill three targets, along with his best friend and partner. Of course nothing goes so smoothly and the film plays out this frightening tale of madhouse mayhem of Wicker Man proportions.
Grounding itself in a human relationship is the dynamic between these two men, Jay (Neil Maskell) and Gal (Michael Smiley). These two actors display a chemistry that is so honest and lived-in, never allowing the audience to question that these two have been close for many years. There's a brotherly affection between them that is instant, but as the film progresses they start to reveal the kind of passive tension that would come with years of friendship. Maskell's performance is the one that truly takes off though, as his character's mental stability comes under question through the brutality of his nature.
There's a morality study in the kind of men that would take this job underlying the whole thing, but that's not even necessary when what's on the surface is so remarkable. With each new target the tension ups itself to another level, but I was absolutely blown away by the final act. This is a final stretch that you honestly have to see to believe because I don't think words can really do it justice. Things are taken to such an extreme, but writer/director Ben Wheatley (the script was co-written by Amy Jump) plays it in a way that never seems absurd. I didn't at all question the legitimacy of these circumstances and I believe that in the hands of someone less capable it could have been a ridiculous sequence of events.
No, the final act is one of the most brutal, relentlessly unsettling stretches I've ever seen in cinema (and I am not one to use words like "ever" in reviews). I can't say that many films have truly disturbed me, but with the unique, frightening score, cinematography and grim circumstances this is one that got deeply under my skin. A must. -
gregsrants19 September 2011Jay (Neil Maskell) has never fully gotten over Kiev. As a hit man, something went wrong when he took the job in the Ukraine and as a result, Joe has been out of work for about 8-months which has put stress on both his financial situation and his marriage to Shel (MyAnna Buring). But when his friend and partner Gal (Michael Smiley) comes over for dinner, Jay is given a chance at another job. An 'easy' job in the assassination of three local men. Given Jay's situation, he is fairly quick to decide and soon Jay and Gal are embarking on a small trip where they will encounter their first target The Preacher. The job itself was easy, but Jay is a bit confused as to why The Preacher said "Thank you" while facing his assassin right before a bullet punctured his skull. The next target was The Librarian a Dr. Who looking character that Jay and Gal follow only to find evidence of some kind of child pornography or torture stored on DVDs. This uncovering sends Jay into an unrestrained rage and The Librarian is killed in more brutal and violent fashion. But before The Librarian is killed, he too thanks Jay and seems to have some kind of recognition as to who Jay really is. For the final name on the list, Jay and Gal camp out outside the large home of The M.P. It is during the night that Jay and Gal watch from their hidden spot in the woods as countless masked and naked men and women carrying torches parade through an open path to an open area where one of the women of the group hangs herself. Unable to contain his emotions, Jay opens fire on the members that seem to resemble a cult, and soon Jay and Gal are on a frightening run for their lives from screeching and determined horde of cult members. Jay is able to find safety back at his cottage retreat where his wife and their young son have been in hiding, but the cult tracks them down and soon the entire family will be fighting for their life against an evil that they don't quite understand. Kill List was directed by Ben Wheatley who last directed 2009's Down Terrace. It is an interesting and incredibly engrossing thriller that keeps zigging when you think it will zag and zagging when you think it will zig. The first 20-minutes of the film would have you question why this film is a thriller at all. The opening focuses on the dysfunctional relationship between Jay and his wife and a dinner party gone awry with Gal and his date. When the film switches to a hit man genre, you would guess that this will be the crust of the remainder of the film. But Wheatley has more reveals behind the curtain and by films end you will have screened something that can best be described as The Wicker Man meets Rosemary's Baby. Kill List is a fine example of what good acting, a descent script and a whirlwind of a story (written by Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump) can bring to a lower budget film. And by 'lower budget' we refer only to the fact that there is no splash of extravagance in Kill List. The story takes precedence and it is an interesting one that will keep you guessing when you are not turning our head sideways in mock disgust of Jay's ever increasing violent actions. A sequence where Jay and Gal are being chased by cult members in an underground tunnel system is the films high tension point, but it will likely be the ending to the film where Jay is pitted against a character with the introductory title card of 'The Hunchback' that is likely to draw the most discussion after viewing. No matter what the discussion topic on the ride home, Kill List is a much to be enjoyed film filled with real characters and is one of the more interesting stories of the year.
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This is not so much a review as a rant so sorry in advance but I really have to vent. Its amazing that I even made it half an hour into this film. The opening act was so dull and pointless that my face was paralysed in an expression of WTF?, mouth open and eyes rolled and I was worried I'd be stuck like that forever.
What occurred in the first half an hour easily could have been achieved in a third of that time,which would have given the filmmakers enough time to tie up all the loose ends that would soon follow. The first was some pointless character scrawling a hex on Jay's bathroom mirror. This was never explained or elaborated upon and the character whose name escapes me because she was completely insignificant appears two or three times again in the movie for 2 seconds, and no reason.
Next, some old fart cuts his and Jay's hand presumingly to spread some kind of infection and says "this is necessary". In a world where the audience is shown later on the reason for such knife play, I agree, it would be necessary. But we aren't shown, so it isn't.
Finally, why does every one Jay kills say "thankyou" when he kills them? It suggests he is some chosen angel of death and it is a privilege to be shot in the head or beaten with a hammer.
Did I miss everything in this movie? Was the opening so boring that my fragile little mind shut off and I missed the story? Can anyone enlighten me as to what the hell this movie was even about? I feel stupider having watched it. And the end sucked. It was predictable from the very start of the scene and not nearly as shocking as everyone would have you believe as the characters were not likable and didn't share that great a connection. Rant over. Thanks. -
Tweekums7 April 2019Jay is a former soldier who has been working as a hitman with friend Gal but after a job went wrong in Kiev he has been avoiding working for eight months. Now his wife thinks it is time for him to get back to work. After some pressure he agrees to do another job with Gal; they meet the client and learn that there are to be three targets on their kill list. The first is relatively easy if a little surprising; things get very messy on the second job but that is nothing compared to the third; that is downright weird taking the film and its characters from a crime film into the territory of horror.
This certainly won't be for everybody. It is brutally violent at times; this is done in a disturbingly realistic manner with nothing stylised or humorous to make it easier to watch. The change of genres comes as a genuine surprises even though there are earlier hints that something strange is going on; notably how the victims react as they are about to be murdered. Thankfully it isn't entirely bleak; some of Jay and Gal's conversations are quite funny. The cast does a fine job; most notably Neil Maskell and Michael Smiley as Jay and Gal and MyAnna Buring as Shel. The cinematography is great giving the early sections of the film a very real feel while the conclusion is made to feel like a nightmare. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody who doesn't mind being disturbed and enjoys a conclusion that leave them thinking about what they have just watched. -
BA_Harrison25 September 2012Down-on-his-luck contract killer Jay (Neil Maskell) and his best pal Gal (Michael Smiley) accept an assignment that slowly draws them into a world of satanic horror from which there is no escape.
Kill List's choppy editing style, intense characters, gritty atmosphere, improvisational performances, and gut-churning moments of extreme brutality all make for a very uneasy viewing experience, but once director Ben Wheatley introduces his film's satanic element, its a growing sense of familiarity that makes for a less than comfortable watch.
To put it another way, the film is bordering on brilliant until Wheatley's influences become blatantly obvious, after which it loses much of its initial impact. As Kill List progresses, it becomes possible to draw more and more parallels to several other horror titles, most notably Race With The Devil, The Wicker Man, and A Serbian Film, and as a result the film is difficult to admire as a whole.
Fans of really violent movies should check this out purely for one incredibly nasty scene—a well executed, extremely vicious hammer attack that leaves the victim with several irreparably broken bones and his brains on the outside—but be prepared to feel more than a bit frustrated by the time the film's final predictable twist is brought into play.
9/10 for everything up to the 'torch-light procession through the woods' scene, 3/10 for the rest; although this averages out at a fairly respectable 6/10, it's still a disappointing score for a film that, for a while, looked like it might have been a modern classic. -
Theo Robertson11 November 2012Thank goodness for Film4 who are showing a season of British cinema . If it wasn't for them I'd be missing out on some obscure British films that have bypassed the local multiplex . Oh hold on what am I doing thanking them ? There might be a very good reason these Brit flicks aren't getting a wider distribution deal ? Certainly KILL LIST is a case in point
I knew absolutely nothing about this film before seeing it . Not a single thing and not wanting to spoil any surprises for myself stayed away from this website and the wikipedia in case it spoiled any surprises and I'm glad I did because the ending for KILL LIST both makes or breaks the film and I mean this in a very cynical way
Jay and Gal are a couple of former soldiers and Gal offers Jay some work under the guise of freelance work . As it transpires the work is composed of contract killings of people who are revealed to be producers of child pornography
It's at this point Jay proclaims he'd happily kill these nonces free of charge and who can blame him . It's also at this point the audience think they know where the film might be heading though they might be confused as to why the victims of this paid vigilantism thank their executioners as they're battered with hammers and have cigarettes stubbed out on their bare flesh
Make no mistake this is graphic extreme cinema shot in that confused " neo-realist style " By this I mean the sound mix is off , the camera work is shaky and the music is composed of rhythmically amorphous muzak that is disconcerting and the editing is jarring . In many ways it's anti-realist and you see the same sort of directorial technique such as Shane Meadows DEAD MANS SHOES and I thought that's the type of film I was watching . I was wrong
You see what happens at the end Jay and Gal go to assassinate their last target the local MP who is having a human sacrifice in a field ( Stop laughing up the back ) and find themselves fleeing for their lives as the cultists follow them wailing like banshees . These cultists have no fear of death as they catch up and kill Gal . They then proceed to surround Jay's house like a naked version ASSUALT ON PRECINT 13
" But Theo wouldn't someone have the decency to phone the police and have the cultists arrested for if not murder then at least streaking ? "
Look don't ask so many silly questions I didn't write the screenplay I'm only a mere audience member but from what I could gather the police , the local MP all of Jay's neighbours and everyone he knows including the bloke who gave him the original contract are all members of this cult . The thinking behind this cult is never ever explained and the fact that it's completely leftfield seems to be a completely brazen and cynical attempt to make KILL LIST something more than a mere vigilante drama featuring torture porn as a selling point
It's this ending that makes or breaks the film . I do notice a lot of people on this page enjoyed it and have to confess I sat with my jaw on the floor as to the ending , but this isn't necessarily a good thing . Ask yourself this - how well would this film be remembered if it wasn't for the ending featuring the death worshipers . Likewise ask yourself how a conspiracy like this could exist in real life ? I know people will draw parallels with what's going on at the BBC and politicians allegedly visiting children's homes for the most depraved reasons but people having human sacrifices led by the local MP in public fields is something different entirely -
It's been a while since I've seen a film that both attracted and repulsed me. "Kill List" has managed to do just that.
It's a difficult film to describe. Suffice it to say, it's been tagged a horror film and that the "similar" films referenced in other reviews give too much away. Let me just attempt to give you some idea of what you might experience if you choose to take a chance and seek out this film.
Before I begin, it must be said that this is a British film, and some of the accents are thicker than the Great Grimpen Mire. Sit back, and let your ears adjust.
The first third of the film might give you the impression it's a family drama. It isn't.
The second third of the film might give you the impression that it's a crime drama. It isn't.
Then comes the final third. It will make you question everything you've seen up to that point and either infuriate you or cause you to manually lift your jaw off the sticky theatre floor. It's out there. Waaaay out there.
The film does a terrific job of building a mood and layering suspense with discomfort. It is an incredibly violent film, graphic in a way I haven't seen since Gasper Noes' "Irreversible." The violence is intrinsic to the film and to its protagonist, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch.
This film bothered me, and except for the extreme violence, I can't really explain why. It left me feeling uneasy and uncomfortable - but I couldn't stop watching. I have so many questions about what I just watched that I will probably watch it again – and I will probably still be bothered.
When's the last time you said that about a film that wasn't a documentary?
www.worstshowontheweb.com -
ThreeGuysOneMovie22 February 2012I don't know why I am drawn to these movies. As soon as I see that it put people off somehow I have to see it. This is the kind of strange movie obsession that leads you to places like Irreversible, Cache, and Begotten. So when I heard about Kill List I knew it was going to be a must watch. Kill List is a standard three act movie but the strange thing about this movie (ok, one of the strange things.) is that each act is like a separate movie. The first act is pretty much a straight up drama, the second act is more of a thriller, and final act is all horror movie.
This is one of those movies that you will hear people saying you have to see again after you see the ending. Apparently, it will all be much more clear for you on the second go around. Personally, I think one time through this movie was about all I could take. Jay and Gil are two former soldiers turned hit men. When the movie starts the two are on hiatus after a job they took over a year ago had some complications. Jay doesn't want to work again but he is pressured back into it by his partner Gil and his wife, who is nagging him about money. They agree to take an assignment to kill three men for a pretty hefty sum of cash. Once the two men start the assignments Jay begins to come unglued. He gets more and more violent and starts mutilating his victims. The two men also soon realize that things are not as they seem. The people that they are hired to kill start thanking them before they die, the person that hired them seems to have ulterior motives, and Jay and Gil quickly realize they are in over their heads.
Kill List is not a movie for everyone. It starts off slow and then comes at you pretty heavy. There is a scene with a hammer that is particularly brutal and not for the squeamish. This is also one of those movies with an ending that will probably send you to the internet looking for answers. It goes from traditional horror to strangely occult to down right odd.
I didn't recognize any of lead of characters from anything else that I had seen but for the most part the acting was pretty good. Neil Maskell was stand out as Jay and he does a nice job oozing menace. It does have some flaws and the parts where the occult aspect come into play don't get developed enough to make the film as cohesive as it should be. That said, it is still an interesting movie that at least took some risks and brings it at the audience full throttle. Kill List will be a confusing mess to some people and others will think it was great. I understand where both camps are coming from with this movie. For fans of the horror genre, this is film you should really check out. -
This film is terrible. It is the very definition of everything wrong with British cinema and I can hardly believe it was given funding, let alone all of the great reviews it has had in the press!!! I wouldn't recommend 'Kill List' to anyone but film students and enthusiasts who would like to witness a masterclass in how not to make a movie.
The writing is incredibly lazy; no attempt is made at a coherent story, 'Kill List' feels like two entirely different films clumsily stuck together with the ending completely discarded. There isn't a single character that the audience can empathise with. The dialogue feels unnatural and so quiet and muffled in places you can barely make out what is being said.
The camera-work was amateurish; very few establishing shots were used, there was no variety in shots at all and the documentary style 'shaky cam' and shallow depth of field made the film feel cheap.
The editing wasn't great either with a massive overuse of jump cuts and black gaps between scenes which felt like mistakes.
'Kill List' is the worst film I have seen in a long time, the writers and director should be ashamed. I implore you not to waste your money and 90 minutes of your life on this garbage. -
nickpalmer573 October 2011I caught Kill List at SxSW and was pretty disappointed.
There were a number of things I did like about it. The acting was all really strong, and the best moments came when the director just took a step back and let the actors perform. The director also did a great job building tension throughout.
The thing most people will be talking about is the crazy left turn the story takes in the 3rd Act. (Spoiler Alert!) After close to 2 hours of a straightforward hit man movie, it suddenly becomes a bizarre occult horror flick. It's a huge departure from everything that's come before it.
My issue with it isn't that this departure makes it feel like two completely different movies (which it does). My issue is that it doesn't do either of those movies very well. The hit man plot is as stale as it gets: Guys heading into 'one last job' before hanging it up for good. They even use the Tarantino-esque title cards between scenes, which I thought went out of style in '98. The only surprises come from how gory some of the violence gets.
I was completely bored and disengaged by about halfway through, so when these two stumble into a witchy sabbath I was actually pretty excited for the change of tone. Sadly, the horror part is a big letdown too. The filmmakers don't manage to build any real suspense, and the big SURPRISE at the end lacks any emotional resonance since we don't care about anyone involved anyway. They pulled off a similar twist in A Serbian Film with a much more powerful result. -
mikec3200121 September 2011"Kill List" could have been invented for the phrase "don't believe the hype". For many, it was the best film of the bunch at the 2011 Frightfest in London, but 2011 was by far the poorest year for that festival.
In a nutshell then, this is a cheapo, slavishly derivative sub-Shane Meadows slasher pic. This doesn't so much pay homage to as blatantly rip off elements of "The Wicker Man" and "A Serbian Film". It also seems to think its an original idea to use Tarantino-style episode names to separate the various killings, the details of which I have already forgotten even though I only saw this last week.
Having shared the experience with a completely non-plussed audience who laughed out loud a the stupidest ending you'll see all year, I think it's fair to say that's 90 minutes I'll not get back.
If you want real UK genre originality, go back to your DVDs of "Dead Man's Shoes", "Eden Lake" or "Peeping Tom" and give this craven little upstart a miss. -
freemantle_uk31 December 2012The Indie Brit-film Kill List was considered one best films of 2011 by British critics: but audiences were more critical of this surreal horror-thriller.
Jay (Neil Maskell) is a hit-man who has mental scars after a mission goes wrong in Kiev, resulting with him not being able to work for eight months. He is running out of money and keeps fighting with his wife (MyAnna Buring). But Jay's friend and partner, Gal (Michael Smiley), tells him of a job to kill three people: a seemingly simple job. But Jay is forced down a strange odyssey with this victims seemingly knowing about him and his past, leading to a surreal conclusion.
The first hour of the Kill List was perfectly fine, the first 30 minutes setting up the troubled home situation and it could have worked as a short film and the killings were brutal, well shot and felt like we were going somewhere with the mystery of how people knew about Jay, whether it real or all in his mind. But the final third goes straight off the deep end when it takes a very surreal turn at the end, turning into The Wicker Man and the very ending was the same as A Serbian Film. There are potential themes about facing your past, how violence affect people's personally lives, how people can try to justify violence and how violence can be so self-destructive and lead to your overall corrupt and downfall. But all these ideas are undermined and underplayed when it turns into a barmy art house experiment.
The acting by the main cast is strong throughout and director Ben Wheatley does bring a brutal sensibility. The violence is truly shocking as one character suffers from a horrific torture and Wheatley is not afraid to show the duration and the results: but unlike say Mel Gibson he does not take pleasure and joy out of the violence, it is meant to tough to watch. Wheatley knows have to craft a scene, get good performances out of his actor but he does need a new editor because there were some strange cuts that made the film look like DVD skips.
There were decent ideas and Kill List was very well for a low budget film, but it felt more like a collection of events then a complete narrative and did not form its ideas and themes properly. The final third ruined the potential film had and it came off as very silly. The only acceptable explainable that it was final illustration of Jay's madness. -
eshwarmail22 December 2012What happened? I am game for big surprises, abrupt climaxes and all, but it was a bit too deviated though there were some really random hints along the way. As the cliché goes, different doesn't mean good. It is competently acted with a lot of gory graphic violence and a dense atmosphere that toggles between a friction filled relationship, friendship and the ordeals of hit-men on job.
Jay (Neil Maskell) and Gal (Michael Smiley) are ex-military and currently hit-men. Jay is married to Shel (MyAnna Buring) and they are going through a rough marriage since Jay is in depression from his last assignment and unable to secure a job and provide for the family. Their strong feelings for each other is what is keeping them together. When Gal comes with a job proposal to execute a kill list, Jay accepts it as he finds no other alternative. When the job starts to go as per plan, a revelation and content of documents secured from one of their victims leaves them perplexed.
It has an innovative screenplay though I wouldn't say it worked any wonders but worth a mention. The movie goes without any background score for a period of time and suddenly comes alive with some classical music and a couple of scrambled scenes and the routine repeats throughout. While there are some hints along the way pointing to the disconnected ending like Gal's girlfriend Fiona's mirror marking, Shel's remark about their kid, each victim saying 'Thank You' before being executed etc., but it never really connects. I would consider if someone who says it is intellectually beyond me as delusional. The violence especially the extended torture scene is disturbing and very well executed. I liked the mix of troubled relationship, love-hate friendship and hit-men combo and it got even more elevated with good performances by mostly unknown (at least to me) actors. The director definitely has the chops to extract fine performances and setup a creepy atmosphere - with a stronger script he might do wonders one day.
Different doesn't mean good. Isn't good doesn't mean bad. -
blueazure0113 January 2012I have given Kill List five stars, so you could suggest I am sitting on the fence or driving in the middle of the road. Probably about right. I wanted to really like Kill List, I mean really like, because I am a fan of 'film' and this little movie is the one that film lovers seem to be talking about at this moment in time. Even Mark Kermode has included it in his top ten films of 2011, and as I respect Mark's attitudes most of the time to what constitutes good 'film' I wanted to be part of his gang.
Unfortunately, I can't agree with Mark's choice this time around. I have tried though, I promise I have given it really good consideration, discussed it on forums and read umpteen reviews about it. But alas, its not for me. And these are the reasons why;
I watched director Ben Wheatley's first film 'Down Terrace' a few weeks before Kill List. At the time I didn't know who he was, or that he had directed anything else. Down Terrace is a gritty little English film. Well directed, beautifully acted and played to perfection. Its wordy. Very wordy. Like a documentary in fact, and at times you feel like you maybe imposing on the characters free time. But its also a very clever little film, not groundbreaking but simple in its approach to the extent that it could almost be theatre (in a good way). What struck me about Down Terrace is that at certain points in the film it could of very easily used shock tactics to gain weight. It could of been a lot more graphic in its approach to the violence, but almost played itself down as it didn't need to go there in order to obtain status. It was clever and very simple.
But the equilibrium has now been corrected for Mr Wheatley, as Kill List is simply one of the most graphic and shocking movies I have ever seen. Not only is the violence horrendous, but given that Down Terrace played a nice subtle touch and used its simplicity to gorgeous effect, Kill List goes all out for shock tactics and confusion. Yes, the same brilliant dialogue can be found here, along with some terrific performances, but the whole film is let down by a storyline that was created so that it was impossible to follow coupled with explosions of hard core violence that simply look out of place. If the director wanted to leave the viewer shocked, appalled and confused, then I salute you Mr Wheatley for hitting the money on every level.
As a fan of film, I was left with nothing but frustration. I cannot fathom out why a director would want to tell a story that in the end leaves the viewer with nothing more than questions. Not clever, life affirming questions. Were not talking King Lear here. Call it contemporary, call it new wave. Call it shock tactics. Call it arse?
If you haven't seen Kill List, but love film, go and watch Down Terrace.
Shane Meadows has nothing to worry about.
So why the five stars after a review like this. Simply because I have never seen a film that has left me thinking "what was all that about?". The fact that its made me write this review, that I've gone on forums to discuss it... for that, and only that, i'll meet you half way. -
The first few frames of this film had me concerned that i'd be watching one of those 'guns n geezers' films that have furnished the careers of Danny Dyer,Nick Love and the like, but these worries were quickly quelled as i found myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the world of these odd characters and their violent, unstable lives. There is an intensity to 'Kill List', similar to that felt when watching the 'funny how?' scene in Goodfella. The threat of violence hangs ever present throughout and i can honestly say, the film is one of the toughest viewing experiences i have ever had. Not only is the threat and intensity level turned up to number 11, the actual explosions of violence made me go light headed, one in particular. Overall, it's hard to argue against Kill List, yes it's overly violent, yes it's full of darkness and brimming malice, but it's succeeds as it sets out to. Bad things happen to bad people.
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socrates9917 November 2012A good gauge of this movie's having little to work with in the way of a script is the inordinately long beginning which drags on for about 30 minutes. With a synopsis promising a hit man on his last assignment you'd expect a little more action. But this is hardly an action film, more of a slow moving horror film. They seemed to have spent a lot of effort filming some of the more gruesome ways to die, for example.
You are teased from early on with notions carrying satanic undertones. But the hints are quite obscure and they're not brought together until the very end. Still, after it's over, it's understandable why they're so muffled within the story's earlier parts.
I did watch the whole thing and with the exception of the first half hour was most impressed with the actors, in particular. The two leads are both engaging enough to keep your interest. One is the harried married man and the other the loyal bachelor friend liked by both the married guy and his wife. They both manage to convey very realistic behavior and emotions. Even the wife is well played.
But, in the end, this is light fare, a mildly interesting idea that didn't quite gel. -
chute_boxe_muay_thai9 September 2012I registered for IMDb just so that I could post a review about how terrible this film is. The frustrating part is that it had so much potential, but ended as a total cop-out, with all of the tantalizing tidbits relegated to unresolved loose ends, which made the entire film cheap and poorly conceived. I have never been so disappointed with a film in my life. Save yourself the trouble, and leave this one on the shelf. I think a third grade child could do a better job of tying the plot points together without resorting to such cheap tactics and so many open, non- concluded elements which turn out to be nothing more than strange twists for the sake of misleading the audience into false hopes of something real and valid happening at some point during this sloppy, murky, steaming dung pile of an outcome. Gal's character was great, and thankfully he didn't live to see this world-class failure come to its awful finale. I WISH I COULD GIVE ZERO STARS.
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jon_pratt1234526 July 2021Kill List is a really creepy and uncomfortable film. Wheatley unflinchingly shows us bleak and souless parts of Britain and the horror really comes from the realism and not knowing where the film might go next and what you might see. The 2 leads are excellent, coming off as vulnerable even though they are both powerful and deadly forces in their own right. There are many comparisons to be made to other movies but all would spoil it so I would say Kill List is best watched with no prior knowledge or expectation.
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Andrew42626 March 2023Ben Wheatley's unanimous magnum opus. A troubled army-vet and his friend take up a contract killing, only for it to spiral into a black hole of folk horror.
Fantastic acting from our two main leads Jay and Gal. To say our lead, Jay is a troubled man is an understatement, and his descent into madness is very well performed.
The film goes from depressing, to dark, to a complete surreal nightmare. That final twist ending will leave you pretty shook.
The only real negative is the unnatural sound affects they used for the masked cultists to artificially make them sound more inhuman, which felt a little cheap, but I understand the decision.
If you're a fan of a good bone chilling thriller that doesn't rely on jumpscares, watch Kill List. -
Roel197312 September 2015KILL LIST is a sham. The terrific first act, in which traumatized hit-man Jay is lured away from his wife and son by his partner Gal with the promise of a simple job and a big pay check, plays like a Ken Loach kitchen sink drama. Very convincing. The second act builds up the mystery. There are clues that Jay, unbeknownst to him, is at the center of an occult conspiracy. But then we get to the third act, in which writer-director Ben Wheatley tries to shock us with an ending that has no basis in his screenplay whatsoever.
The obvious example here is The Wicker Man, but what Wheatley missed was that everything in Anthony Shaffer's script eventually leads to that shock ending. It flows logically from everything that's happened before, and still it comes as a surprise. That's great writing. Moreover, it is necessary for Shaffer to make his point about religion.
Wheatley makes no point at all. Still, with all the seemingly meaningful details in KILL LIST, he suggests some internal logic to the proceedings. But it's all a pose. His lazy, hollow ending proves that he has nothing to say about anything.
Why does that bother me so much? Because the rest of KILL LIST is so damned good! It's impeccably cast and acted and well made. And the way Wheatley handles different genres in this one movie (relationship drama, gangster film and occult horror) is exceptional. But I hate it when film makers have nothing to say and at the same time pretend that they do.