Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Kill List Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 18, 2012

Winner of Best Supporting Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards, Ben Wheatley's "Kill List" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; making of featurette; interviews; and two audio commentaries, one with director Ben Wheatley and writer Amy Jump and another with actors Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring and Michael Smiley. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The client

There is plenty in Ben Wheatley’s Kill List that is left for the viewer to figure out. But this is why the film works so well – it is a constantly shifting puzzle which makes sense only until the next piece is added up. Then the viewer must go back and reevaluate everything he has seen.

Jay (Neil Maskell, The Football Factory, It's All Gone Pete Tong), a retired hitman, is visited by Gal (Michael Smiley, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Other Boleyn Girl), his best pal, also a hitman, who asks him to get back in the business of killing. At first Jay declines the invitation because he does not want to face old demons, but his Swedish wife (MyAnna Buring, The Descent, Devil's Playground) changes his mind. A couple of days later, Jay and Gal end up in a hotel room where ‘the client’ gives them a list with the names of three men they must kill. Before they part ways, he also mentions their work in Kiev and that he is pleased to have them work for him because they come highly recommended.

Jay and Gal are surprised to hear that someone actually knows about their work in Kiev. That was years ago and those who knew about it are no longer amongst the living. Nevertheless, they begin preparing for the job.

The first target is a priest. Jay and Gal quickly track him down in a remote church somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Moments before they kill him, he smiles and thanks them. The second target is a librarian obsessed with pornographic videos who also appears grateful. Before he kills him Jay goes berserk and seriously scares Gal. The third target is a prominent M.P. who lives alone in a large mansion. Jay and Gal arrive there on the night before the target is to be executed and witness a brutal Druidic ritual. When they foolishly attempt to stop it, all hell breaks loose.

Kill List is formerly divided into three large episodes. The first focuses on the two hitmen and their new lives. Both have tried to find peace and start from scratch but have failed – Jay is having serious problems with his wife while Gal has finally met a girl he likes but she does not understand him. Because their private lives are so chaotic and constantly making them feel weak, they go back to killing because working makes them feel strong again.

The second episode focuses on the first two killings. This is where things begin to unravel. There are shockingly brutal scenes here that reveal why Jay and Gal come highly recommended. In the beginning of the film they look like two ordinary blokes who are getting old like most other blokes do – drinking, arguing with his wives and girlfriends, and playing tough rather than being tough – but when they start killing they become animals.

The third and final episode is 'out there'. There are at least three different ways to deconstruct it and they all make sense (to me). It turns the entire film upside down and pushes it into a territory most David Lynch films visit. However, what fascinates here are not the what ifs but the wild atmosphere – things get very ugly and very strange very fast.

Ultimately, Kill List is a journey, not a film that tells a coherent story – at least not in the traditional Hollywood-esque sense of the word. It is the thinking man’s guilty pleasure, thought-provoking and stylish, perhaps slightly ambiguous but not irresponsible, and the lazy viewer’s nightmare, a film that demands patience, concentration and an acquired taste.

Note: Last year, Kill List won Best Supporting Actor Award (Michael Smiley) at the British Independent Film Awards.

Kill List Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ben Wheatley's Kill List arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal.

Kill List is one of the most impressive Blu-ray releases to come out with the Studio Canal logo in quite some time. Despite the fact that very large portions of the film take place at night, or in places with restricted light, detail and clarity are consistently outstanding. Contrast levels are also convincing, though because of the manner in which the film was shot they aren't always consistent. The color-scheme is also excellent - the film favors a variety of rich but cold colors that compliment the tense atmosphere very well. There are no traces of problematic post-production corrections. There are no serious aliasing or banding issues to report in this review either. When blown through a digital projector, the film also conveys outstanding depth and very pleasing fluidity. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Kill List Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0, and an Audio Description track. For the record, Studio Canal have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

Jim Williams' score has a very important role in Kill List. Some of the creepiest sequences have all sorts of ambient sounds that profoundly change their character. The final third of the film, in particular, is very wild. Fortunately, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is as as precise and intense as it could possibly be. This isn't to say that there is demo material in Kill List, but the film's sound design and the manner in which it is handled by the loseless track are guaranteed to please audiophiles who pay attention to detail. For the record, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow.

Kill List Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - the original UK theatrical trailer for Kill List. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).

• Making of - a short featurette with various camera tests and raw footage from the shooting of selected scenes. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080i).

• Interviews -
  
  -- Ben Wheatley - director Ben Wheatley discusses the origin of the film, the complicated narrative, the shocking violence, etc. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080/50i).
  
  -- Neil Maskell and MyAnna Buring - the actors discuss their involvement with the film, the characters they play, their impressions of director Ben Wheatley, the style of the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080/50i).
  
  -- Claire Jones and Andrew Starke - the producers of the film discuss the origin of the film, its complex narrative, the characters, director Ben Wheatley's style, etc. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080/50i).

• Commentary - an audio commentary by director Ben Wheatley and writer Amy Jump. This is a light and entertaining but also informative audio commentary. The director and the writer discuss how specific sequences were shot, where and how, their importance, etc. There is some interesting analysis of the main characters as well. The various comments during the final third of the film are also very interesting.

• Commentary - a second commentary by actors Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring and Michael Smiley.

Kill List Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wild, at times hilarious but shockingly brutal, Ben Wheatley's Kill List is an excellent thriller that is destined to become a classic. It literally kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time as I had no idea what would happen next. Well done. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Studio Canal, looks and sounds terrific. If you could play Region-B "locked" discs, consider adding Kill List to your collections. It is one of the best independent British films I've seen in years. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.