KILL LIST is a sham. The terrific first act, in which traumatized hit-man Jay is lured away from his wife and son by his partner Gal with the promise of a simple job and a big pay check, plays like a Ken Loach kitchen sink drama. Very convincing. The second act builds up the mystery. There are clues that Jay, unbeknownst to him, is at the center of an occult conspiracy. But then we get to the third act, in which writer-director Ben Wheatley tries to shock us with an ending that has no basis in his screenplay whatsoever.
The obvious example here is The Wicker Man, but what Wheatley missed was that everything in Anthony Shaffer's script eventually leads to that shock ending. It flows logically from everything that's happened before, and still it comes as a surprise. That's great writing. Moreover, it is necessary for Shaffer to make his point about religion.
Wheatley makes no point at all. Still, with all the seemingly meaningful details in KILL LIST, he suggests some internal logic to the proceedings. But it's all a pose. His lazy, hollow ending proves that he has nothing to say about anything.
Why does that bother me so much? Because the rest of KILL LIST is so damned good! It's impeccably cast and acted and well made. And the way Wheatley handles different genres in this one movie (relationship drama, gangster film and occult horror) is exceptional. But I hate it when film makers have nothing to say and at the same time pretend that they do.
The obvious example here is The Wicker Man, but what Wheatley missed was that everything in Anthony Shaffer's script eventually leads to that shock ending. It flows logically from everything that's happened before, and still it comes as a surprise. That's great writing. Moreover, it is necessary for Shaffer to make his point about religion.
Wheatley makes no point at all. Still, with all the seemingly meaningful details in KILL LIST, he suggests some internal logic to the proceedings. But it's all a pose. His lazy, hollow ending proves that he has nothing to say about anything.
Why does that bother me so much? Because the rest of KILL LIST is so damned good! It's impeccably cast and acted and well made. And the way Wheatley handles different genres in this one movie (relationship drama, gangster film and occult horror) is exceptional. But I hate it when film makers have nothing to say and at the same time pretend that they do.