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There’s nothing like the release of a new horror-action-comedy. Especially when it’s about two sisters fighting back against corrupt rich people who are secretly Satanists that have confined said two sisters in a fancy hotel. But enough about Ready or Not 2!
As funny as it is that these movies with major plot similarities released in back to back weeks, They Will Kill You proves that a movie is not what it is about, but how it is about it. Director Kirill Sokolov adopts a Quentin Tarantino approach to the material, quite apparently influenced by Kill Bill and Tarantino’s overall aesthetic. They Will Kill You wields stylized action, eccentric music choices, and title cards to set up character backstories in a way that makes no attempt to hide who Sokolov looks up to.
The result is a fun and gory movie. Zazie Beetz bring a strong presence as the lead. Her character isn’t exactly complicated or full of dramatic heft, but she brings a plucky and forceful charisma that makes the character work as much as it needs to for this type of movie. Likewise, Heather Graham and Tom Felton are delightfully goofy as some of the minor antagonists. Patricia Arquette is a little rougher, sliding in and out of an Irish accent that doesn’t quite work; one wishes they dropped that angle entirely, since it could only ever distract from the performance.
Those looking for depth or nuance won’t be rewarded. They Will Kill You only makes the vaguest assertions of a thematic concept, and the characters are rather thinly written. Emotional investment isn’t something you will get here, and thus it is missing something that could elevate it to the next tier of quality.
Yet for a facsimile of a Tarantino movie, Sokolov has a grand time. There is plenty of wry humor, and it plays with its endless array of immortal thugs, letting them get chopped up in a variety of ways. A notable sequence involves a dislodged eyeball mobilizing across the hotel setting in what looks like some mixture of practical and digital effects. If self-ambulating eyeballs are your thing, They Will Kill You is likely your type of movie.
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