Color me surprised by the bloody fun action-horror film “They Will Kill You,” a chaotic, stylish, and high energy cinematic ride from director Kirill Sokolov. Action packed and deliciously self-aware, this unmistakable homage to “Kill Bill” is sprinkled with Quentin Tarantino’s love of blood-soaked revenge and awkwardly cool dialogue, but also features elements that mirror the crackerjack fight choreography of “The Raid.” Oh yeah: it’s also spiked with the absurdist weirdness of Quentin Dupieux. This is a creative force of a popcorn movie, and it is a ton of fun to watch.
The setup is perfectly simple. Asia (Zazie Beetz) takes a housekeeping job in an ominous New York high rise called The Virgil and quickly realizes the building is less luxury living and more satanic murder maze. Up against the building’s host (Patricia Arquette), Asia is on a mission to find her missing sister (Myha’la) whom she abandoned years ago. What follows is basically one long, escalating night of survival against a demonic cult that treats human sacrifice like it’s a sport.
The movie runs on pure, unfiltered mayhem, and Sokolov doesn’t hold back on the violence. There’s cartoonish arterial spray from slit throats and severed heads, limbs flying with reckless abandon, exploding heads, talking demons, and a truly inspired flaming axe fight that’s one of the film’s action highlights. It’s gleefully excessive, but never sloppy. The surprising part is that beneath all the carnage, the movie actually holds together. The twists are inspired, the mystery unfolds at just the right pace, and there are fewer plot holes than you’d expect from something this unhinged.
A lot of the film’s success is owed to Beetz, who absolutely owns her role. Barefoot, blood-drenched, and increasingly hell-bent on revenge, she sells every savage moment (and makes a kick ass, albeit unlikely, action hero). Her character is not just surviving, but adapting, evolving, and occasionally enjoying the chaos a little too much (and it’s a blast to watch).
There’s a heavy use of CGI but it’s skillfully done. The computer generated bits do not cheapen the gore, but enhance the insanity. Coupled with a loud and aggressive soundtrack, everything aligns with an energy that pushes the film to go even harder. Thankfully, the tone is balanced because the movie never takes itself too seriously.
What really makes the film work, though, is its tone. It never takes itself too seriously, and subtlety is thrown out the window. Sokolov leans into the absurdity and because of that, you’re free to just strap in and enjoy the ride without overthinking it. As a result, “They Will Kill You” is creative, unpredictable, and just plain fun.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 