Despite potential, Kill List just can't find its feet...

Having never seen writer/director Ben Wheatley’s first feature Down Terrace, I approached his follow up Kill List with an open-mindedness, and lack of bias. Initially interested in the film on the understanding that it is an unsettling crime thriller about violent hit men, I was not afforded the knowledge - before viewing - that it is in fact pitched as a horror thriller; and owes as much to the likes of The Wicker Man, Rosemary’s Baby, and - at one point - even the dastardly A Serbian Film, as it does to the crime genre. Unfortunately for Wheatley, two of the aforementioned films achieve the results he is aiming for here with far greater panache and flair. I am sure I do not need to explain which two.

After a never fully explained failure of a mission in Kiev, soldiers Jay and Gal find themselves home and without direction. Jay in particular has no job, is struggling financially, and is at odds with his wife, an element of the story which reaches a frighteningly explosive head early on in one of the film’s better scenes. The two hit men take on a mysterious job consisting of various ‘hits’ on people who supposedly deserve nothing better.  The money for the job is good and is going to resolve all the problems.

The cast here is the strongest element of the film, all players turning in convincing, often intense and focused performances, with Neil Maskell standing out from the crowd as Jay, who is by turns a good family man and dangerous killer.  At its best, Kill List successfully creates an atmosphere of tension and menace; a sense that something awful is going to happen (although watch Michael Haneke’s Funny Games or The White Ribbon to see this done better). The way Wheatley draws the audience in with his intriguing and mysterious setup, which is best left unspoiled, and then perfectly times his loud, over-the-top, aggressive and sometimes gruesome moments to shocking effect is to be admired; although the actual need for such moments is, at times, questionable. Likewise the moments of humour -  such as a scene in which they are checking into a hotel without drawing attention, only for Jay’s credit card to be declined - are actually well managed and worked into what is otherwise a dark film rather nicely.

Pretty much everything else about the film is a problem. Technically, the way the film is edited comes across rather amateur, and whilst a slightly messy, rough around the edges feel is probably what Wheatley was going for, the results just look (and sound) cheap.  In watching Kill List, one recognises, as with A Serbian Film, that there is an intention to be saying more than just what we see on the surface; there is a social commentary to be seen about the struggles of the nuclear family in the UK, there is a look at the treatment of ex-soldiers, and with regard to the job they are performing, we are invited to consider when somebody deserves to be tortured for their crimes, how far an avenger should be able to go before they are themselves a bad person. There are various cryptic moments through the film that pose a question for the audience; arouse a curiosity about where the story is going next; and yes, indeed, hook them (like myself) through the offering of a big payoff.  Sadly that payoff never occurred and again, as with A Serbian Film, any pre-conceived attempts to push the subtext of the plot; and ideas other than those rather simple, clichéd ones on the surface gets completely lost.

Jay’s behaviour spirals out of control, and with it so does the film; you can almost literally see Wheatley losing his grip on the material as he pushed us towards a final, unexpected The Wicker Man homage. Again, within this final act there is a claustrophobic scene which is done very well, but he cannot make it last and quickly drops the ball again.

The last reel of the film is sure to leave all viewing in complete suprise...but not in any good way. Though it may be attempting to address the numerous questions that have arose throughout the film, it actually answers nothing.  The final note of the film is a slight shock, but when the credits role you are not left reeling from it, you’re simply bemused.

I am not entirely sure why this is pitched as it is, for while it is certainly not trying to be a pedestrian crime thriller, it is not funny enough to be a black comedy; not frightening enough to be a horror; not gruesome enough for the gore hounds; and, as previously mentioned, any social comment being made is completely lost.

Ultimately, Kill List is a film that shows flashes of wanting to be all of the above, but fails to be any. A frustrating one to avoid, and one on which the National Lottery should not have wasted their money.

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