Kill List

Finished watching Kill List late last night and it kept for up for most of the night, not because it was so scary but that ending. Did I miss any clues? I knew something was up. When Fiona took Jay's (Neil Maskell) blood and marked their home. The blood pact later on etc. etc. I knew something cultisch was coming up. But I never knew how. Did I miss any other clues? The ending is bizarre too. Right before the reveal I knew what was under the blanket but it still shocked me.

Anyway, the performances are all great. I liked the slow-burn pace. The movie also kept me on the edge of my seat. The gore is brutal, when he kills the LIBRARIAN (IT MUST BE IN CAPS) with that hammer, I was like DAMN SON take a beer and calm the f down. The ending was sudden but I was alright with it. It left at the right point and made me want to think about it. I also believe this is a great movie to watch a second time with the clues you might be seeing the second round.

I do believe it is essential to go into Kill List without knowing what it is about. Don't read the back of the dvd cover, don't look shit up on the internet. Go in as blind as possible. I found out about this one because of a Shockwaves Podcast. And glad I watched it blind. Loved it! (Still a bit confused though)

So fucking good. I was NOT expecting that ending. After this I'm gonna watch every Ben Wheatley feature (except his 'Rebecca' remake probably) because holy shit this is bold. Probably one of the most brutal films I've seen too - the brutality carries over to the atmosphere of the whole thing.

This was definitely a fun movie. A lot of people felt like the ending just kind of dropped off and left you on a cliff hanger. It seems like a lot of indie foreign films do that on purpose so the viewer can decide how they want it to end. Either way, it was definitely a good watch.

I’m surprised by the number of reviews where people are surprised that this movie ultimately reveals itself to be cultish horror given we see Fiona inscribing symbols in Jays house in the opening act, there is a blood oath and animal sacrifice in the second act.

I found it to be quite intense, gritty, and genre bending with a great, albeit predictable, twist at the end.

6.5/10

Kill List is one of the those movies that follows hitmen, they have a job and they have to kill people. I found it interesting that instead of glorifying the killings and without giving into too much stereotypes, the movie actually focused on more real interactions between the two hitmen and how like us they have conflicts, family problems and a sense of morality and that even though to them it's just like a job, they still are killing people and they have to live with that.


The folly of this is the third act of this movie which turns the structure of this whole "go and kill people without fucking up" into "survive". Which lended the film the tense finale that it had built up.

I liked it enough to recommend watching this with a few friends. Very well made and well-acted, you could understand and see the dilemmas, fear, anger and frustration that the characters were going through. I like that there is a category of movies following morally angry hitmen who die because of their own actions, teaching us that though this job was giving them a lot of easy money, once you step in there is only one way to get out: Die.

Watch more movies like this:
In Bruges
Death Sentence
Bunohan: Return to Murder

Wow, not what I was expecting and came as a real shock... but in a good way... think Eyes Wide Shut, Wicker Man, and you're some of the way there... excellent cast and directing by great British people. Be warned, this is not easy viewing and the worst part is... this stuff actually goes on. Powerful, hard hitting and memorable. 7.5/10

What a strange film. This psychological horror incoherently assembles several genres in a strangely compelling way and delivers a really tense and disorienting ride. It starts as a mumblecore drama, then morphs into a hitman thriller and is a fricking folk horror by the end of it. It's a little bit of everything and the change of tone is what makes it a bizarre experience. I really dig the dysfunctional relationship between the leads. There are some unexpected ultra-violent parts in the middle that provide good shock value and the wonderful score ups the creep factor. I'm glad I finally enjoyed something from Ben Wheatley’s work.

Interesting story, with some good acting and solid atmosphere. But the editing and heavy accents make it hard to follow what the hell is going on half the time, and you're left playing catch up. As a result it feels a bit pretentious. It may play better on repeat viewings though.