So join me on this rousing adventure as I reflect on the first film in my IFC Midnight Trilogy: "Kill List!"
This is a movie that's difficult to classify, although one could take the easy way out and just call it a "dark drama." I guess that would be fairly accurate, although that's not really the feeling that you get while watching it. The word "drama" just doesn't have the right gravity for a movie like "Kill List," although "weird" and "bleak" and "violent" would be good descriptors for it.
SOON.
What's notable about it is that even though it is a crime drama for a good portion of the film, there was still a weird sense of what I can only call spookiness hanging over "Kill List." I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was expecting creepy stuff to start happening because it's an IFC Midnight movie, although they may have been a factor. And to be sure, even though there are little hints of it throughout, by the end the creepiness does make itself known in an ending that is possibly one of the craziest, turn the movie on its head, whiplash inducing change of tone endings I've ever seen.
"Kill List" is a movie about Jay, a hitman who, after a botched job in Kiev, is reluctant to take another assignment. We never see or are told about what happened in Kiev, but it obviously was bad enough to make a seasoned pro want to quit. After not working for 8 months, Jay is offered another job by his friend and fellow assassin, Gal. In an effort to support his family, he reluctantly takes it. The job is to kill three people, a priest, a librarian, and a rich man.
Jay, played in a masterful performance by Neil Maskell, finds out quick enough that there is far more to the job than they initially anticipated. The men they are sent to kill all seem to know something that Jay and Gal don't, and the further into the mess they get, the more nefarious things they uncover, which usually ends with Jay going off the deep end in a rage of horrendous violence, which is in contrast to Gal's more deliberate, methodical ways. As the film progresses, this gets worse and worse until it's all Gal can do to contain Jay's psychopathic outbursts.
And then, we come to the last job. The last act of this movie is, in a word, crazy. I'm reluctant to give anything away, but suffice to say that it definitely takes on the tone of a horror film in the last 20 minutes. And it's such a shock when it happens that it seems like we've wandered onto the set of an entirely different film. At the same time, it does fit with the creepy vibe the movie had been giving off, almost as if we can finally put a reason to why the movie has been doing that the whole time.
The end of the film is most definitely one of those "make or break it" moments for the audience. It would not be a stretch at all to imagine someone complaining that the end came right the hell out of nowhere, didn't make any sense, was confusing, and was just insane, for lack of a better word. And in some ways they would be correct. This is a crazy ending that "Kill List" has, and it is abrupt, and it does make you scratch your head and say "What the crap is going on?" This is all true.
As weird as it is to say, yeah, it's kind of like that.
But that's why I loved it. Here's the thing: the end of "Kill List" is nuts, but it does make sense when you think about it. Because that's the key, you just have to let it sink in for a bit. Now, is every question answered? Oh good lord, no. There are more open ended questions at the end of this movie than there are homophobes in the GOP, but that doesn't mean it's not a good ending. Maybe we don't need to know everything about everything. "Kill List" gives us just enough hints that we are able to draw our own conclusions about the "why" of the film.
Although the ending was by far the most attention grabbing part of the film, due to its insanity, I found the rest of "Kill List" to be an intensely absorbing film. There's a fantastic sense of tension going on throughout, like a rubber band being pulled tighter and tighter, and you're just waiting for it to snap at any moment. Once the killings start happening it only gets more intense, because the violence in "Kill List" is pretty brutal, and any time they're on the job it's only a matter of time before some more is thrown your way, and the anticipation leading up to it is pretty nail-biting. It actually reminds me of a Tarantino film in that way, although Tarantino's violence tends to be more sudden. "Kill List" is a bit more drawn out, but they are both equally effective. It's also reminded me of "Drive" in that regard as well, now that I think of it.
Did I mention it's kind of violent? *Urrp* Oh god...that hammer...
The cast also deserves another call out, because they were all very good. I mentioned Neil Maskell before, but MyAnna Buring, who was in "The Descent" is also outstanding. However, Michael Smiley was the standout for me as Gal, and wound up being my favorite character. He has this great Irish swagger to him which endears him to the audience, although once again, it's strange to be drawn to people who are killing other people for a living. Ironically Smiley was also in "Burke & Hare," which had protagonists with similar occupations, and like that movie, killing isn't a pleasure for them, it's a job. I'm not sure which mindset would be worse, honestly.
There isn't too much more to say about "Kill List" other than that. If you want an intense movie with some hard hitting violence and a completely insane ending, you could do far worse than this one.
But watch it with subtitles on. Unless you happen to be from the region of the UK they are from and can understand what in the crap they are saying. I never thought the Irishman would be the guy who was easiest to understand.
THE BOTTOM LINE - I enjoyed "Kill List" a good amount, and would recommended it to anyone looking for a good, dark thriller. It's got that distinct IFC Midnight flavor that reeks of creepy. Once again, their track record is intact with me. Recommended.
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