Kill List piles on the kills, thrills and chills
You really can’t top the movie Kill List for kills, thrills and chills.
OMG you guys, I thought we were buddies? So how come none of you told me how good Kill List is? Wow. Friends are supposed to watch out for one another, you know. Sharing is caring, and all that. Thank goodness for my writing buddy, Erin, who had the good sense to shine some light on this haunting little gem of an indie flick.
(Also, some of you may be asking why I’m reviewing a movie from 2010. Hey, you don’t like it, get your own damn blog. But seriously folks, part of of what I set out to do with this site is to find exciting stories like this—whether they be books, or movies, or comics—and share them with the world. Capeesh? Cool. Let’s get weird.)
The plot, in brief
So, this movie.
Kill List drips with tension from the very first scene. Jay (Neil Maskell) is an ex-soldier with a checkered past who seems to be failing at his new role of house husband and dad. He hasn’t worked in months, and cracks are starting to form in his relationship with his wife, Shel (MyAnna Burning). Enter Jay’s longtime buddy Gal (Michael Smiley), who shows up at just the right time with a job offer. It’s at this moment the audience learn about the secret these two men share. They’re occasional hitmen. What’s more, a mysterious businessman wants them to pull off one last job for him.
Wait, WTH just happened?
You following? Great. So, Jay and Gal start to work their way through their client’s “kill list”, and uhm, let’s just say shit gets really weird. When the deadly duo zero in on their first target—a priest, no less—they are surprised to find that he seems to be expecting them. Jay puts one through the target’s skull, but not before the priest looks Jay in the eye—and smiles? Eeeks! I can’t say more without spoiling the rest of the movie. From that moment on, it’s a roller coaster ride of twists, turns and revelations, all the way to the heart-stopping, horror-drenched finale.
Rent Kill List. Do it now.
Kill List is an independent thriller from IFC Films. What it lacks in flash, director Ben Wheatley more than compensates for in suspense. A lot of the heavy lifting is delivered by Maskell’s Jay, whose transformation from defeated husband into a coldblooded killer is nauseating, but powerful.Not only does Kill List keep you on the edge of your seat, it rips the seat out from under you and then slams you in the head with it. Thriller and horror lovers, this movie has got the goods, and then some. You’ll be thinking about Kill List well after it’s over. Stream it this weekend on Prime Video or iTunes, if you dare.
Watch the trailer