Title: They Will Kill You
Director: Kirill Sokolov
Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha’la Herrold, Paterson Joseph, Tomm Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette
Where: In Theatres
Rating: **1/2
Some films grip you by the throat, and then there are films that simply fling buckets of blood in your direction and hope you mistake the splash for substance. This film belongs, rather emphatically, to the latter category, though not without moments that tease a far better film lurking beneath the carnage.
Set within a sinister high-rise steeped in occult intrigue, the film follows Asia Reaves, a woman shaped by trauma and driven by a singular mission. The premise promises a heady mix of revenge drama and supernatural horror, but the execution veers into excess. The narrative structure feels less like a journey and more like a series of violent pit stops, each louder and bloodier than the last, yet curiously devoid of escalating tension.
The early passages hold genuine intrigue. A frenzied confrontation involving masked intruders crackles with energy and invention. For a brief stretch, the film discovers rhythm and purpose. However, once its central conceit reveals itself, the storytelling slips into repetition. Violence loses consequence, and with it, the audience’s investment. What should have been a clever narrative twist becomes a mechanical loop, draining both suspense and surprise.
There is also an unmistakable sense of cinematic déjà vu. The film borrows liberally from genre touchstones without fully digesting them. The result is a patchwork that looks stylish in fragments but struggles to cohere into a satisfying whole.
Actors’ Performance
At the centre of this storm stands Zazie Beetz, who commits wholeheartedly to the role. She brings physical intensity and emotional undercurrents that the script only intermittently supports. Her portrayal hints at a richer character arc, one that the film sketches but never quite completes.
Patricia Arquette adds an eccentric flair, though her character choices occasionally feel at odds with the film’s tone. Meanwhile, Heather Graham injects a welcome unpredictability, stealing moments with an almost gleeful abandon. The supporting cast, including Tom Felton, is serviceable, though largely underwritten.
Music and Aesthetics
Visually, the film is undeniably striking. Its production design transforms the central location into a layered, infernal maze, rich with detail and symbolic suggestion. There are flashes of visual wit and audacity that suggest a director with a keen eye for spectacle.
The music, however, leans heavily on familiar cues, often signalling excitement rather than generating it. The aesthetic ambition is evident, but it frequently feels like surface embellishment rather than an extension of the narrative.
FPJ Verdict
This film confuses noise for energy. It is brisk, intermittently inventive, and lifted by a committed lead, yet collapses under excess and imitation. It offers flashes of visceral thrill but little depth or coherence, leaving emotional engagement shallow and retreating into a cycle of numbing, blood-soaked spectacle that overstays its welcome.
