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Kill List Play Trailer

Kill List (2012)

tomatometer

76

Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 83
Fresh: 63 | Rotten: 20

Kill List is an expertly executed slow-burn crime thriller that thrives on tension before morphing into visceral horror.

71

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 6

Kill List is an expertly executed slow-burn crime thriller that thrives on tension before morphing into visceral horror.

audience

57

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 6,993

My Rating

Movie Info

From director Ben Wheatley, Kill List is a mind-blowing genre concoction being called the "#1 Horror Film of the Year" (Bloody-Disgusting). A brilliant blend of family drama, hitman action-thriller and terrifying psychological horror film, Kill List tells the story of an ex-soldier turned contract killer who is plunged into the heart of human darkness. Eight months after a disastrous hit job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, Jay (Neil Maskell) is pressured by his partner Gal

Unrated,

Mystery & Suspense, Horror

Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump

Aug 14, 2012

$26.3k

IFC Films - Official Site External Icon

Cast

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All Critics (83) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (20) | DVD (2)

Displaying both a nasty edge and a playful sense of humor -- but thankfully, never at the same time -- Brit import Kill List is several cuts above its fellow midbudget horror brethren.

January 8, 2013 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Deeply edgy, gory crime film maintains perfectly calibrated tension before dropping a bombshell that will be too much for some viewers.

January 8, 2013 Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic IconTop Critic

One of the scariest films I've seen in ages, although I cannot in all honesty explain exactly what the movie is about.

April 11, 2012 Full Review Source: Miami Herald
Miami Herald
Top Critic IconTop Critic

"Kill List" has a slow build, but don't be lulled into complacency. This is one of the most violent and disturbing films you'll see in an art house.

March 15, 2012 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Wheatly aims for something like moral complexity by having one of the killers believe in God and the other aspire to be a good husband and father, but once the graphic violence starts, it upstages everything else.

March 15, 2012 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's baffling and goofy, blood-soaked and not boring. That it's well-made adds to the confusion; it feels like a better film than it turns out to be.

March 15, 2012 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comments (4)
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

When it's all over, audiences are sent reeling out of the theater with heads spinning and guts churning.

January 8, 2013 Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly
L.A. Weekly

Kill List is bravura filmmaking - an impeccable guide on how to build tension and character without sacrificing story.

September 28, 2012 Full Review Source: TheShiznit.co.uk
TheShiznit.co.uk

Kill List is a tremendous film that features a nerve shredding climax that shook me to the core, skilfully edited and cruelly turning the tables on the main characters in ways you never expected.

September 24, 2012 Full Review Source: We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered

A moody, scary, often exceptional film that tries so hard to keep the viewer at a distance that it actually succeeds too well.

August 22, 2012 Full Review Source: CraveOnline
CraveOnline

A confounding, divisive, but ultimately staggering vision, Ben Wheatley's genre-melding Kill List gets a sterling Blu-ray transfer from MPI.

August 12, 2012 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Martin Pavey's sound design is so unnerving it scared the bejeezus out of our cats...

August 10, 2012 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | Comment (1)
Reeling Reviews

It's a bit of a slow starter, but once it gets going, Kill List achieves a steady, nail-gnawing intensity and unpredictability.

April 20, 2012 Full Review Source: Times-Picayune
Times-Picayune

Wheatley's sui generis sophomore effort confirms him as a weasel to watch under the cocktail cabinet for.

March 19, 2012 Full Review Source: Irish Times
Irish Times

It just barely works for me by virtue of its audacity but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't do the same for you.

March 16, 2012 Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com
HollywoodChicago.com

Ben Wheatley might one day make a film of interest as long as he nails down a few particulars before heading to the set.

March 16, 2012 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

Following up his impressive debut, Down Terrace, Ben Wheatley's Yorkshire-based crime thriller swerves with abrupt satisfaction into horror in its final moments.

March 3, 2012 Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix
Boston Phoenix

Although Kill List is a dark and creepy film, it is also very funny at times.

March 3, 2012 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle

Audience Reviews for Kill List

A
July 9, 2012
Joseph Mcnicholas

Super Reviewer

One of those great films that really does take you by surprise. The film centres on a hitman undertaking one last job. Nothing new there, but it's the general atmosphere that makes this a true original. It seems like a British drama at times, with brilliant dialogue for which the cast are credited for in the closing credits. Their improv is certainly recognisable as they play off each other so well. Not only that, but there are bizarre horror elements that creep their way in to the film. Such as a black cat eating off the table with an eerie soundtrack playing. It's horror, it's a thriller, it's a drama, and it's bloody excellent. Maskell gives a powerful performance of pure ferocity. Smiley is a great counterpart and you can feel the bond between the two. Not to be missed, because even if you don't like it, it should give you an interesting experience.
January 5, 2013
kiriyamakazou

Super Reviewer

    1. Jay: One, two, three.
    – Submitted by Chris P (16 months ago)
    1. Jay: They should suffer.
    – Submitted by Chris P (16 months ago)

Discussion Forum

Topic Last Post Replies
Is Kill List a Good Horror Film? 27 days ago 2

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