Kill List (2011)

Kill List: Directed by Ben Wheatley. With Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Harry Simpson, Michael Smiley. Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.

“To me, this is an absolute gem. Watched it on Netflix, just because I had nothing better to do. I didnu0026#39;t know anything about this beforehand – and thatu0026#39;s the way this is meant to be watched. I was captivated, baffled, horrified and never did I guess what is going to happen next, not once. There are more or less subtle hints throughout the movie that not only shed some light on the bizarre ending but also keep building that disturbing mood that grows stronger and stronger as the movie progresses.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhy this is a hard film, for many, to watch:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu003culu003eu003cliu003eIt is extremely violent. This is not gore for goreu0026#39;s sake, this is brutal, dark and realistic violence that adds to the disturbing mood this movie sets. This is not enjoyable violence, this is gripping and shocking violence.u003c/liu003eu003c/ulu003eu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu003culu003eu003cliu003eIt gradually changes its tone from a crime story to something surreal, disturbing and mysterious. I loved that, the movie surprised me. The tonal shift wonu0026#39;t please everyone.u003c/liu003eu003c/ulu003eu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu003culu003eu003cliu003eThe final act is bizarre and certainly does not clearly explain itself. While I was shocked and wanted to have more answers, I really thought that if a movie needs to have an ambiguous ending, this is the way you do it. There are hints along the way, but nothing is too clear or spoon-fed. For many, the ending is a dealbreaker or seals the deal. I loved this movie already before the final act, but thereu0026#39;s no denying how powerful the ending is. Also, Iu0026#39;d like to say that thereu0026#39;s so much quality in this movie that I really donu0026#39;t think the somewhat open ending is a product of lazy writing. I think itu0026#39;s the product of careful, genuinely good filmmaking. u003c/liu003eu003c/ulu003eu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe acting is phenomenal. Damn you Brits, you really sometimes surprise me. The characters feel like real people. Handling of music, cinematography, editing…you really can see how well this movie is crafted, seems like nothing is rushed or forced and many things are definitely missed on the first viewing. This might look like a cheap, unambitious film at first, but I really think itu0026#39;s quite the opposite. This is, in my mind, an intelligent film. Not a slasher, but an intelligent, shocking story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a hard movie. Hard to watch because of the brutality, hard to totally comprehend because of the ambiguity. But it got me. I was thrilled all the way to the end. Possibly the most disturbing movie Iu0026#39;ve seen in years, and Iu0026#39;ve seen a lot of questionable stuff. I donu0026#39;t remember having such an emotional response to a movie for a long, long time. I donu0026#39;t know if Iu0026#39;m going to see it again, because it really disturbed me so much. But I know this: I was captivated, thoroughly at the mercy of this movie, and it didnu0026#39;t let me go.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you like weird thrillers, check this one out. Thereu0026#39;s some serious quality and effort here.”