Once a week we’re taking underrated films and giving you reasons to watch. Each one is hand-picked, of a different genre, and easily accessed and enjoyed. This week, one of the very few British films of this century which are actually any good: ‘Kill List’ (2011).
SYNOPSIS: A year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
Five reasons to watch:
1) Genre-blending
Whenever I recommend this film I always say “it’s a horror film, sort of. Well, technically it’s a hitman movie. Well, actually, I guess it’s more social-realist commentary of Britain at the time – post-Iraq and in the midst of the recession…” The film opens at a dinner party – too many drinks are had, arguments ensue – we learn a great deal about the haunted characters through what they don’t want to discuss (religion, military background, political opinions), next thing you know you’re watching two men working their way through a “kill list”. Then things get weird when one of the names on the list says thank you before he is killed. Then there’s a cult and we’re in pure horror mode as we get an adrenaline-fuelled finale with one of the most gruesome climaxes in film history. What is this film? That’s hard to say. The fact that it exists, and at no point when you’re watching do you really question how we got from a family dinner to a cult hanging someone in a field, is a testament to how Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump pulled off one of the most original and startling British films of all time.
2) Efficient storytelling
Not a single second is wasted. The film propels you through the story with no stopping for a breath. Some may find the editing frustrating – hearing dialogue from one scene carried over to several shots advancing the story or setting the tone – but we get the maximum amount of information in the shortest amount of time. Not only is the film tightly structured, it’s also paced relentlessly, and the ending third works all the better for it, in my opinion. Filmmakers can learn a lot from analysing the editing of ‘Kill List’
3) A quality low-budget film
What’s most inspiring about ‘Kill List’ (to filmmakers at least) is that with its small budget, so much was achieved. In fact, it’s the limitations which make the film so great. It feels rooted in reality due to the overlapping dialogue, regular home setting, use of generic British exteriors, and (purposefully) missing bits of information. The use of digital is put to use to great effect, most notably in the infamous hammer scene where the audience is refused a cutaway.
4) Ben Wheatley
Wheatley burst onto the scene with this 2011 mini-masterpiece. Although he had directed episodes of TV (‘Ideal’) and a no-budget feature (‘Down Terrace’) previous to this, it was ‘Kill List’ that got him international attention (including that of Martin Scorsese, who has since executive produced several Wheatley projects). Since then he has gone on to direct ‘High Rise’, ‘A Field in England’, and ‘Free Fire’.
5) The Unexplained
A great deal of this film is left unexplained. A lot is hinted at throughout, through glances and subtle comments, but we never really know why they’re being sent to kill these people, or what is really going on/why the lead character is considered so important. This degree of suggestion is rare in film, allowing the audience to decide for themselves what is going on. That said, ‘Kill List’ is not a hard film to follow (it is a little hard to watch at times if you can’t stand gore though – as the now infamous “hammer scene” goes to show). For me, one of the best moments of the film comes at the very end, when I character laughs at the most unexpected of times, opening up countless questions regarding everything that has gone before.