THEY WILL KILL YOU
Starring: Zazie Beetz, Myha’la, Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Paterson Joseph, Angus Sampson, and Heather Graham
Director: Kirill Sokolov
AMARÚ
After an obligatory backstory scene, They Will Kill You director Kirill Sokolov combines swooping cinematography and exaggerated sound design to make this action horror comedy worthy of your favorite campy martial arts films. And even then, you have no clue the zany shenanigans the film is about to evolve into. Once the entire conceit reveals itself, this absurdist gorefest goes from bloody awesome to grotesquely magnificent. The story is simple, ridiculous, and nonsensical, but with Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, and Tom Felton leading an all-in cast through gorgeous stunt choreography, this is the epitome of kick back and enjoy the fuckin’ show.
ROBERT
Nothing bad can come from Hollywood wanting to expand the action genre with more female-led efforts. With They Will Kill You, you have a simple premise, a likeable actor at the center in Zazie Beetz, and fun set pieces; the formula is there. Unfortunately, it does end up being somewhat of a twin movie to Ready or Not 2 and thus shares the same corner, so it loses out in the greater cinema landscape. The premier supporting actors were not utilized properly, and the performances overall were hokey, but you can turn your brain off and revel in the satanic carnage.
ADRIANO
Describing movies as “boring” is reductive most of the time, but with a film like They Will Kill You, where the intention is to maximize on mayhem, it’s worth acknowledging that it bored me after a while. Zazie Beets going full Kill Bill mode is fun in the first sequence, but they quickly diminish the stakes from there. After that, director Kirill Sokolov just regurgitates the gory styles of Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi, and granted, he’s not hiding that. However, it lends the film’s repetition an extra level of familiarity that reminded me of better exploitation films like this.
KATIE
Director Kirill Sokolov is not shy about relying on his influences in They Will Kill You, and he’s clearly inspired by the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Park Chan-wook, Sam Raimi, Edgar Wright, and Wes Anderson, to name a few. It’s also narratively similar to Ready or Not, and this prevents it from feeling fresh and consistently interesting. Still, it has very entertaining fight sequences with creative cinematography, it's intensely gory and absurdly violent, and has some fun use of practical effects. Zazie Beats is also formidable in the leading role and makes a magnetic action hero.
