They Will Kill You (English) Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha'la, Patricia Arquette
Director: Kirill Sokolov
They Will Kill You Movie Review Synopsis:
THEY WILL KILL YOU is the story of a woman trying to protect her sister. Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), an ex-convict, arrives at The Virgil, a premium hotel in New York City, to work as a maid. She is welcomed by the superintendent, Lilith Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette), who assigns her a room. After taking a bath, Asia goes off to sleep, only to be suddenly woken up by a group of people wearing mysterious masks who try to kill her. Having learned to fight in prison, Asia retaliates fiercely and eliminates them. She confronts Lilith about the attack and also reveals that she took up the job at The Virgil because her estranged sister, Maria Reaves (Myha'la), also works there. Soon, Asia uncovers the truth about The Virgil and her sister. She also realizes that the hotel serves as a hub for those involved in a Satanic cult, making her situation even more dangerous. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
They Will Kill You Movie Story Review:
The story is a bit cliched but also has streaks of novelty. Kirill Sokolov and Alex Litvak's screenplay is concise and imaginative but also loses its sheen in some places. The dialogues are fine.
Kirill Sokolov's direction is decent. To give credit where it's due, he sets the mood imaginatively. The way the hotel and its eeriness are depicted make for a great watch. A few action scenes are well thought out and will be lapped up by the audience.
On the flipside, the direction is not up to the mark and hence, the film doesn’t quite pack the desired punch. We are living in times of extreme gore and violence and yet, a few scenes in this film are likely to leave viewers feeling grossed out. It also gives a déjà vu of KILL BILL, JOHN WICK etc. The bond shared by the sisters should have been the soul of the film. However, it comes across as half-baked. Lastly, the film suffers from negligible awareness.
They Will Kill You Movie Review Performances:
Zazie Beetz gives a power-packed performance and makes the film watchable. Her action moves are quite cool. Myha'la lends able support. Patricia Arquette fails to entice. Heather Graham (Sharon) manages to register initially but is then forgotten. Paterson Joseph (Ray) is fine. Tom Felton (Kevin) is passable. The actor playing Damian is wasted. His character seemed interesting, but was added for the heck of it.
They Will Kill You movie music and other technical aspects:
Carlos Rafael Rivera's music is appropriate. Isaac Bauman's cinematography enhances the engagement to some extent. Jeremy Reed's production design is impressive, while Neil McClean's costumes are realistic. The action works in some scenes. However, later on, it doesn’t impress much as it gets repetitive. The VFX is top-class. Luke Doolan's editing is slick.
They Will Kill You Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THEY WILL KILL YOU tries to offer something different by blending horror with gore-laced action. However, weak direction and half-baked backstories dilute the impact. Moreover, its negligible buzz and competition from DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE and PROJECT HAIL MARY will prove detrimental.