KILL
Starring: Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Tanya Maniktala, Abishek Chauhan, Harsh Chhaya, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Adrija Sinha
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
AMARÚ
For a bit, I forgot the structure of Hindi-language action films, but when reminded of it about 40 minutes in, Kill went from pretty good to “y’all done fucked up now.” The title explains it all, and with Raghav Juyal’s electric antagonist Fani battling Lakshya’s statuesque hero Amrit, their gruesome fights live up to the name. Yet, this film is far from mindless death. Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat adds true emotion and stakes to the tightly paced, blood-soaked action, bringing authentic emotional investment to each character relationship. Kill is an epic journey with a palpable score and great performances to match, promising a top-notch savage thrill ride.
ADRIANO
Fun fact: This was my first Midnight Madness premiere at TIFF, and I believe I made the right choice starting with Kill. To put it plainly, Kill is like The Raid on a train. The first act has its fair share of violence, but in the second act, it never stops. The kills are ultra gory, slick, stylized, and messy in the best ways possible. Now, you'd think with a movie like that, it would mainly rely on its kill count, but there's a shocking emotional throughline to compliment the gore. Kill is simply a killer good time.
This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.