They Will Kill You review (2026)

They Will Kill You is a chaotic, messy blood stained action comedy that never fully settles into a cohesive experience. It’s got some genuinely clever and creative moments but they’re competing with so much excess that this thrill ride runs out of steam long before its final act.

Director/co-writer Kirill Sokolov proudly pays homage to his creative influences including Sergio Leone, Park Chan-wook and Quentin Tarantino. They Will Kill You feels like it’s built off the framework of Kill Bill (complete with geyser-like blood sprays) and a touch of The Raid thrown in as well. It’s rare to watch a film made by a Tarantino disciple and envision Tarantino making a more toned-down version that allows scenes to breathe.

Zazie Beetz (The Bad Guys) plays Asia Reaves, a young woman who takes a housekeeping gig at a posh high-rise hotel, The Virgil. She’s welcomed by the head of staff, Lily (Patricia Arquette), who comes off somewhat mysterious and unbothered by the states Asia gets during her tour.

Sokolov does an excellent job in the film’s opening scenes of quickly building tension and a creepy atmosphere complete with a warning written on her steamed-up shower mirror — They Will Kill You.

It’s too bad, Sokolov and co-writer Alex Litvak race through the budding mystery to get to the action. Asia gets attacked in her room by some of the guests who initially greeted her, Kevin (Tom Felton) and Sharon (Heather Graham, Best Christmas Ever). The jokes on them as Asia is not some naive horror thriller protagonist ready to be sacrificed. She’s come armed with a sword and a shotgun on a mission of her own.

This opening sequence is one of the stronger action scenes in They Will Kill You, largely because so many of the subsequent fights have a feeling of diminishing returns.

A pair of quick flashbacks explain Asia’s real purpose to taking the job — so she could find her sister, Maria (Myha’la, Bodies Bodies Bodies) — and Lily’s — to offer up a fresh sacrifice to her dark lord.

Easily the biggest handicap with They Will Kill You is the far too early reveal that Asia’s sparring partners, who she decapitated and otherwise dismembered, are immortal and can only be killed in one very specific manner.

This tremendously dulls down the suspense and excitement of most of the fight scenes since Asia can’t die as the sole hero and the villains are indestructible.

To make up for the fight scenes intrigue, Sokolov and Litvak double down on the humor, which is mostly a misfire since the jokes are more of the slapstick variety and come off as out of place against the bloody carnage. That decision most directly affects Felton and Graham, who are tasked with salvaging the humorless material.

Beetz doesn’t have much to work with in the script, but she brings a fiery intensity to her role that makes her a credible action hero. In They Will Kill You’s standout action sequence involving a flame-engulfed ballroom and a flame-soaked sword, Beetz brings a rawness to her performance that takes it to another level.

Myha’la is enjoyable as the younger sibling caught up with the wrong crowd while Arquette adds some layers to what could have been a one-note character. Paterson Joseph provides another solid supporting performance as a hotel staffer who helps the sisters stay ahead of the cult.

Set designer Michele Barfoot does amazing work making The Virgil a creatively laid out playground for Asia to wage her warfare with elaborately decorated hallways and ballrooms and intricately staged rooms. Cinematographer Isaac Bauman uses creative lighting and color saturation to give the film a unique visual.

They Will Kill You is too much of everything, which effectively drowns out the truly special spectacle moments. Still, it’s not too challenging to imagine how a more streamlined approach would have made this a more impactful experience.

Rating: 5 out of 10

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