THEY WILL KILL YOU

They Will Kill You is never short on sleekly executed fight sequences that will both get the audience’s blood pumping and leave them splattered with the blood of Zazie Beetz’s victims, but the all too familiar and stakeless story sadly relinquishes Kirill Sokolov’s English language debut as a disappointingly forgettable experience.

If you think you are having a severe case of Déjà vu while sitting in the theatre watching They Will Kill You, you probably aren’t the only one, as the entire film feels very reminiscent of last week’s Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Russian writer and director Kirill Sokolov makes his English language Hollywood debut with They Will Kill You which blends the lines between action, comedy and horror in hopes of delivering a whirlwind cinematic experience, armed with a strong cast featuring Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, Myha’la, Heather Graham and Tom Felton. While it starts off promising with an exciting action sequence, copious amounts of blood and an undeniable visual style to draw viewers in, Sokolov and his co-writer Alex Litvak reveal their hand too soon narratively which sadly drains the danger and stakes from the film, leaving the film’s many well executed fight sequences lifeless despite an energetic turn from Beetz and excellent work from the stunts team.

A deal with the devil. A blood offering that must be made to survive. A not so subtle commentary on the rich preying on the poor, using them to sustain their lives. Endless, bloody and hyper active action sequences. Even though the story itself is an original idea, what Sokolov and Litvak have cooked up in They Will Kill You never has the true feeling of fresh originality, as it follows in a line of many films that have come before it. Not only will its poorly time released a matter of days after a near identical film, down to the exact same sisterly bond which forms the heart of both stories, and one that has the name recognition that They Will Kill You does not, but Sokolov and Litvak make a critical mistake early on in the film that dampers the rest of the film’s experience. At the end of the first act’s big set piece, teasing the sinister happenings within The Virgil and that Beetz’s young woman is not the individual the residents of The Virgil were expecting to find in their midst, the twist of the story is revealed, and it's too early for the film’s own good.

While this twist allows for Graham and Felton’s continued presence throughout the film and builds some truly zany moments of dark, blood soaked comedy, it comes at the cost of removing the stakes from the story and action sequences. As you watch Beetz slice, dice and chop her way through her adversaries as she journeys deeper into The Virgil, though the twist’s reveal adds a sense of humour to some of the action sequences, it removes the urgency and danger within them as you know how it is going to end before it even starts. Not helping this is the fact that Beetz’s Asia feels like a terminator-esque participant who feels very little pain and is not slowed down by anything, creating a supposed fight to the death where no one involved actually seems to be suffering harm in the slightest. And when the film culminates with a final act reveal that generates some truly wild similarities to the Lord of the Flies, which in of itself is an odd choice for a film about a satanic cult, it feels like a chore to get there despite the film’s relatively short runtime and ends the film on a truly confusing “what just happened” note.

It’s too bad the narrative underwhelms, because the set pieces of They Will Kill You are some of the wildest designed action sequences you will see this year at the cinema. Hyper-stylized, splattered with blood, and hilarious in the most twisted way imaginable, the set pieces call back to the style and gratuitous violence of Quentin Tarantino and the Kill Bill films, featuring outstanding work from both Beetz and the stunt team. Each fight sequence bears a unique visual style, oddly reminiscent of the aesthetic of the films of Wes Anderson, elevating these moments with a visual grandeur that delivers more than just expertly choreographed fight movements. From the camera angles of the sequence in the tunnels beneath the floorboards of The Virgil to that wicked firelight sequence in the dining room, the way that these sequences are framed are exquisite and add a true cinematic flare to the overall experience, even if they are dragged down by the lack of stakes to the story that these set pieces are meant to elevate.

Giving the film her all is Beetz, who is absolutely killer in the lead role of Asia. With a kick ass energy as she never breaks from her character’s dead set determination and unwavering killer instinct, Beetz becomes a true action star that any horror or action film would be lucky to have, cementing herself as They Will Kill You’s secret weapon. Arquette is gleefully sinister and resolute as Lily Woodhouse, the superintendent of The Virgil, bringing a chilling authoritative grip to the film that gives an elevated intellect to the hunt for Asia within the hallways of The Virgil. Myha’la is decent as Maria, even if the screenplay gives her little personality or a significant role in the story despite being one of the film’s main characters, and while both Graham and Felton are clearly having fun in their supporting villainous roles, neither of them are given truly wild and depraved moments in the film to match the energy they are bringing to the film. The performances aren’t weak, but with a clumsy screenplay that favours visual style over substance, it is hard for the majority of this truly talented cast to leave a lasting impression on viewers.

It’s hard to judge an action horror film for having an underwhelming story when it delivers the crazy blood splattered sequences that audiences have come to see, but when there is no real substance to support these great set pieces, it feels like it is being held back from its real potential at every turn. Sadly, that is what it feels like for the entirety of They Will Kill You. Not only does its familiarity leave viewers constantly comparing it to better films that came before it, but the reveal of its twist too soon removes the severity from its fight sequences, that while allows them to play out with a tongue in cheek comedic tone while visually calling back to the works of Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson, renders They Will Kill You lifeless on arrival. Though Zazie Beetz is kick-ass from start to finish and confirms herself as an excellent action star and final girl, not even the great visual style and hyper stylized Tarantino-esque action of They Will Kill You can save the film from its narrative shortcomings that makes it feel more like a chore to sit through rather than the shocking, blood splattered extravaganza it strives to be.