Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 11, 2024

Note: Aside from this Amazon exclusive SteelBook release, Lionsgate is also offering Kill 4K in standard packaging.

What does it say about Kill that its title card appears well over half way through the running time? Well, basically that despite attempting to gussy things up with stylistic conceits like that, most of what's on tap, including that weirdly late credit, has been done in other films, repeatedly (there are some interesting online aggregations listing films with late arriving credits sequences, for those who might be interested in such marginalia). If that suddenly disjunctive, but kind of slyly "meaningful", appearance of the word Kill on screens as the film is at least partway through its perceived second act is just one example of "been there, seen that", the whole setup of violence in the confines (and of course occasionally either on top or dangling out of a window) of a speeding train is itself kind of a tired trope at this point. Spectre and Skyfall both have train fights (and Skyfall in fact began with just such a sequence), but longer memories involving James Bond may recall a more contained but just as visceral climactic battle in From Russia with Love. Trains being either taken hostage or otherwise afflicted with some kind of impending tragedy have been featured in everything from Source Code to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (and, yes, that one is a subway, but you get the drift). And of course there's the relatively recent Train to Busan, which offered a "different" kind of "terrorist". So, what sets Kill apart? Probably the sheer overwhelming lunacy of the violence that erupts after that title card appears, when focal character Amrit Rathod (Lakshya) becomes an avenging angel of sorts, taking out hordes of bad guys in an attempt to wreak havoc on a group which has taken over a speeding train and itself caused mayhem, including the death of at least one notable character (in a plot point that won't be overtly spoiled here, but which is probably easy to guess).

The fact that Amrit is a member of India's anti-terrorism military, it probably won't be a major surprise when he ends up on a train that has a quasi- terrorist incursion. Before that happens, though, Kill tries fitfully to develop some interrelationships and backstory involving various characters, most importantly Amrit's "true love", Tulika Singh (Tanya Maniktala). One of the kind of interesting angles of the story, albeit one that kind of gets lost in all of the carnage that follows, is the Indian tradition of an "arranged marriage", and suffice it to say Tulika's father has plans other than Amrit marrying Tulika, which is the first obstacle thrown into the "happily ever after" path the couple wants to pursue. When Tulika and her family board a high speed train to New Delhi, Amrit and his fellow soldier Viresh Chatwal (Abhishek Chauhan) also secretly board, with Amrit hoping to get a chance to convince Tulika to elope with him rather than marry the man her family has chosen for her.

Suffice it to say that when a band of supposedly petty thieves invades the train, all bets are off, especially after what the thieves planned as a veritable "smash and grab" becomes more of an actual hostage situation, one unsurprisingly involving Tulika's family. Also suffice it to say the body count begins accruing fairly rapidly, and one particular death catapults Amrit into a one man killing "squad", it might be argued in more than one way like John Wick. The rest of the film features a high octane assortment of smackdowns, and easily establishes Lakshya as a major presence in action adventure outings. Co-writer and director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat also has a firm hand on the proceedings, and even if this particular "journey" can seem at least somewhat derivative, the visceral quality of the fight scenes provides regular adrenaline jolts which are aided and abetted by some at times extremely graphic blood, guts and other gore.

While it's hard to believe it considering any number of other ultra violent films Lionsgate has released (including the John Wick series), it may be the hyperbolic levels of mayhem that erupt throughout this film that put the kibosh on any real marketing effort for this release on both 4K UHD and 1080 discs. I personally received none of the typical e-blasts from the "usual suspects" on Lionsgate's PR committees, though it's kind of oddly interesting that Lionsgate is releasing the film in two packaging options on 4K UHD disc, and one on 1080 disc. It may also be "oddly interesting" to videophiles that Lionsgate's 4K release does not offer HDR.

Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Kill is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arri Alexas were utilized, and the LF Mini offers a 4.5K source capture resolution in this aspect ratio so I'm assuming this had a 4K DI, though as of the writing of this review, the IMDb isn't listing that particular data point. This may be another one of those "headscratcher" 4K releases that Lionsgate occasionally befuddles potential consumers with, due to it not offering any "version" of HDR. That results in a presentation which may arguably have marginally better fine detail levels at times than Lionsgate's already great looking 1080 presentation, but virtually no change to the palette (at least that I could detect). HDR certainly might have aided the many dimly lit scenes in the train in particular, but also potentially could have provided some exciting highlights for some of the aggressively graded material that shows up interstitially, both on the train and off. All of this said, detail levels and clarity are certainly commendable throughout this presentation, but this seems to be something of a lost opportunity for a 4K UHD release.

Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kill features an explosive Dolby Atmos track in the original Hindi, with forced English subtitles (even the Audio Setup menu states the subtitles are forced, one of the few times I remember seeing that on a disc menu). The track offers clear engagement of the Atmos speakers at any number of junctures, including as early as a wedding announcement shortly after things get started where guns are fired into the air. But a number of whirlwind sequences, including some scary "outdoor" stuff also offer some overhead placement of ambient environmental effects. Despite the cloistered surroundings of much of the story, there's good use of the side and rear channels in some of the fight scenes in particular. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. While the English and Spanish subtitles are ostensibly optional (there's an "off" choice in the Setup Menu), the English subtitles are forced.

Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Both the 4K and 1080 discs in this package offer the same slate of supplements, all of which are in Hindi with English subtitles:

• How to Kill: Making of a Bloody Train Ride (HD; 45:47) kind of hilariously comes with a content warning about violence, but has some interesting behind the scenes footage. It may be somewhat reassuring in a way to see some of the makeup effects being applied, which suggest maybe heads weren't actually burnt to a crisp or impaled with various sharp objects.


• Making of the Train (HD; 3:12) looks at production design.


• Introducing Lakshya (Amrit) (HD; 1:26) has brief interviews and some footage of the actor's training regimen for the role.


• Behind the Blood (HD; 1:44) has more makeup and prosthetics information.


• Behind the Action (HD; 2:29) looks at some (but certainly not all) of the violence in the film.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:28)

The SteelBook packaging is very nicely designed, and kind of hilariously features a John Wick-esque teal(ish) color on the outer panels. The front panel offers Amrit about to pummel someone and the back panel features one of Amrit's weapons of choice. The interior panels feature another teal drenched image of Amrit facing down the bad guys. A mylar O ring offers the superimposition of a bloody handprint and title on the front, and a plot summary and credits on the back. A digital copy is also included.

Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While there are sadly probably too many terrorist attacks to easily keep track of them all, some may recall a thwarted attack on a high speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris in 2015, and as an Oregonian, I'm proud to say one of the three American servicemen who helped subdue the would be killer went to high school and college in and around the quaint town of Roseburg. Kill is itself supposedly based on a real life train robbery experienced by Bhat, but unless news reports were seriously lacking, that robbery didn't result in the kind of mass deaths portrayed in the film. Kill evidently got quite a good reception at TIFF last year, though I haven't seen any authoritative data on how it did at the box office on this side of the pond. One way or the other, I am personally frankly just not a fan of the kind of nonstop violence on tap in the last act of Kill in particular, but for those who do enjoy (?) seeing people getting pummeled, impaled and vivisected, Kill will probably provide more than enough entertainment (?) value. Technical merits are solid (though the absence of HDR may be a stumbling block for some) and the supplements very interesting, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.