The Killer’s Game review (2024)
The Killer’s Game is like a ludicrous, far more cartoonishly violent version of John Wick: Chapter Three – Parabellum.
It’s completely over the top insanity played to the deadpan hilt by Dave Bautista, who leans more into cliche action hero form.
Joe Flood (Bautista, Dune: Part Two) is a highly skilled assassin who’s never made much time for a personal life. At the advice of his mentor, Zvi (Ben Kingsley, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), starts considering a life beyond taking lives. One where he makes space for someone else.
Perhaps that special someone is Maize (Sofia Boutella, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver), a captivating ballerina he rescued during a riot at her latest performance. A performance where Joe just so happened to spark the riot by fulfilling a contract. The two hit it off and Joe finds life is a lot more enjoyable whenever he’s around Maize, who’s equally smitten.
Director J.J. Perry (Day Shift) weaves a fun sequence that keeps transitioning between Joe and Maize having elaborate dates and Joe taking out another mark. Perry doesn’t want viewers to take any of the carnage too seriously, which he accomplishes well in this scene.
While Zvi suggests Joe tell Maize how he makes a living, Joe is fine calling it a hitman career and retiring. Just don’t sign any markers, Joe. John Wick would definitely advise against it. Before he can successfully pull off his retirement, Joe finally gets some insight from his doctor on these annoying headaches that he’s been dealing with for weeks. He has a fatal disease with no known cure.
Naturally devastated, Joe does what any hitman would do. Joe goes to Zvi and asks him to put a contract out on his life. Joe’s life insurance policy won’t give everything to Maize if he kills himself, but if someone else does, she can be his full beneficiary.
Zvi wants to no part of arranging for his friend’s death prompting Joe to go to longtime rival, Antoinette (Pom Klementieff, Mission: Impossible – Death Reckoning Part One), who is more than happy to dispatch the hounds to kill him. And that doesn’t include her top henchman Max (Daniel Bernhardt, Extraction II).
Antoinette has a wild crew of killers ready to take the contract, which then gives The Killer’s Game a vibe akin to Smokin’ Aces. The killers are all over the top characters that seem more like video game bosses than actual assassins. This does make for a fun mix of characters. Terry Crews plays Joe’s friendly rival, Creighton Lovedahl, who won’t take the contract until it reaches a certain number.
Other groups are less discerning. Goyang (Lee Hong) leads a colorful gang of killers that seem like the stuff of Quentin Tarantino’s dreams; Miklós Szentváry-Lukács plays twin daredevil motorcycle riders; Marko Zaror is a killer who only uses his deadly spurs and boot knives to kill his targets; cinema fight legend Scott Adkins teams with WWE superstar Drew McIntyre as Scottish psychopaths while the Party Girls (Lucy Cork and Shaina West) use their seductive looks to quickly kill their prey. It’s a wacky assemblage of characters that Perry introduces in outlandish segments.
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After breaking up with Maize for her own good, Joe gets a message from his doctor. The results were wrong, and he’s set to live a nice, long healthy life. Provided he survives the onslaught of hitmen coming his way.
The Killer’s Game had long been mired in development hell with stars including Wesley Snipes and Jason Statham attached to play Joe. Bautista is probably the most fun option simply because his beefy physique and background as a WWE wrestler allows Perry to have wilder action sequences. Bautista has action hero credibility based on his size and he proves unexpectedly charming playing a hitman in love.
Boutella is no stranger to pulling off a credible action hero in her own right, but Perry somewhat plays against her type leaving her physicality to the stage. It’s a nice shift for Boutella who shows she’s more than a kick-tail action star. Kingsley is always good playing the calm voice of reason and he’s balanced out nicely by Alex Kingston who plays his hyper chatty wife, Sharon.
Rand Ravich handled the original screenplay of Jay Bonansinga’s 1997 novel (available on Amazon) with James Coyne stepping in years later for a rewrite. The script isn’t overly complex as Perry just gets to come up with more ridiculous means of death-dealing. To his credit, the action rarely feels repetitive and the mix of talented performers with a stunt background ensures that there’s not a lot of weak moments in the chaos. The biggest problem with the fight scenes is Perry goes overboard with the blood streams and sprays to the point it’s borderline gratuitous or just goofy.
The Killer’s Game is a wild, crazy time but it’s exactly as advertised. Don’t come into The Killer’s Game expecting some deep, heartfelt romantic action comedy about of hitman. It’s all about the insanely over the top spectacle and another engaging lead performance from Bautista.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Photo Credit: Lionsgate
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