User reviews

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.

I 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.

An 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

"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.

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

Ben 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.

Down-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.

What 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.

I 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.

Jay 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.

A 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.

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.