I could never be a real critic because it’s impossible to
discuss some movies without mentioning their finales, so if you care about
“spoilers,” you can skip this review. (Incidentally,
any movie that is dependent on a surprise ending is inherently weak.) Kill List is a good movie, but all the
brouhaha surrounding it is a little gratuitous in my opinion. It doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done
before; it merely ramps up the elements that are irresistible to fans of
thrillers; hit men, cults, sadistic violence, and most importantly, twist
endings. The insane fetish for twist
endings since the invasion of M. Night Shayamalan has made it almost impossible
to enjoy any crime, horror or fantasy movies because you are forced to
constantly read between the lines while trying to anticipate the big
revelation. In other words, you can
barely keep attention on the scene at hand, and you’re not supposed to remember
it either, because it’s just a set-up for a good climactic rug-pull from under
your feet. Having said that, the film is
certainly effective. A traumatized
ex-soldier takes a job as an assassin, finding that it provides a suitable
outlet for his enjoyment of murder.
Strangely, though, his victims appear to know him and accept their fates
with quasi-religious gratitude. The
finale won’t come as a huge shock to anyone who’s seen The Wicker Man or
the more recent A Serbian Film.
In fact, since Kill List and A Serbian Film were made so
close together, it seems unlikely that one influenced the other, but it certainly must be a source
of embarrassment for the makers of both that their intended devastating
conclusions are identical to each other in amazing detail.
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